posuit) is parenthetical. Wickham well remarks that ille is emphatic and that quicunque primum has increased force from its parenthetical position that wretch (who he was and when it was, I don't know, but this I do know that he) both

on......'

nefasto die] The technical meaning of nefastus dies is explained by Ovid, Fast. 1. 47:

ille nefastus erit per quem tria verba silentur :

fastus erit per quem lege licebit agi.

He rightly takes the derivation of the word to be from ne 'not,' and fari 'to speak,' and explains it as a day on which the magistrate did not utter' the three technical words, do, dico, addico, which indicated that he was prepared to sit for the administration of the laws; it therefore indicates a day on which for any reason law could not be administered, but as many of these days were 'ill-omened days' (e.g. the anni. versary of Cannae) the term nefastus dies was gradually used for a day of evil omen,' a usage which would be encouraged by the natural tendency to connect the word with nefas rather than ne-fari. So cf. 2. 1. 35, nefasti='guilt,' and see Dict. 8. v.

3. nepotum] indefinite='posterity.'

5. illum] emphatic: cf. n. on 1. 1, and cf. ille, L 8. Et ='even.'

crediderim] 'I can well believe.' The perfect subjunctive of verbs such as those of 'believing' or 'affirming,' is elegantly used to express a certain modesty or diffidence in expressing a belief or making an affirmation. The Roman writers felt that for fallible men such words as credo, affirmo, dico, were not to be used lightly, and loved to modify them in such phrases as crediderim, pace tuâ dixerim, hoc pro certo affirmaverim. It is perhaps a pity their example has not been more largely followed.

6. penetralia...hospitis] Both words are emphatic: it is not only murder, but the murder of a guest, and it is in the inmost part of the house, the most sacred spot in it, specially under the guardianship of the Penates, or 'Gods of the interior.' The horror of the scene is increased by the addition of the epithet nocturnus.

8. venena Colcha] Some MSS. read Colchica, but it seems better to admit an open vowel at the end of one stanza before

a vowel at the commencement of the next (although this is objectionable where there is no pause), rather than to admit the very harsh elision which would be necessary if Colchica be read. The adjective Colchus is analogous in form to such adjectives as Medus, Maurus, Thynus, Dardanus, Romulus, cf. 1. 15. 10 n. Poisons are called 'Colchian' because Medea came from Colchis.

11. caducum] 'destined to fall': domini, 'thy owner,' and therefore the tree must have been on Horace's Sabine farm.

13. quid quisque.....horas]‘no man has ever been sufficiently guarded, hour by hour, what he personally is to avoid.' cautum est is used impersonally, it has been guarded by a man,' quid vitet is the direct question quid vitem? put as a dependent clause; quisque is added because each individual carefully selects what he himself should avoid, though the result too often is that while A carefully avoids C, and B, D, yet D turns out to be what 4, and C what B should have avoided, or some unregarded force E ruins both alike. Of. ll. 15-20.

14. Bosporum] For the dangers of the Bosporus of. 8. 4. 30, insanientem navita Bosporum | tentabo; at its entrance were the so-called Symplegades or Clashing Rocks. What the 'Carthaginian sailor' is doing in the Bosporus need not much trouble us: Horace merely remembers that in the days when Carthage existed its seamen were bold and venturesome, and he mentions the Bosporus quite vaguely as a type of any dangerous strait; nor does it seem improbable that, although Poenus is not equivalent to Tyrian or Phoenician, yet he is influenced in his choice of the word by the knowledge of the early reputation for seamanship of those Phoenicians from whom the Poeni or Carthaginians were directly descended.

Thynus (cf. 3. 7. 3) has been suggested as the correct reading it gives excellent sense in connection with the Bosporus, but is pure conjecture.

16. caeca] 'hidden,' 'obscure,' i.e. not obvious.

timet] Notice the last syllable lengthened by ictus. Cf. 1. 8. 36 n. aliunde: emphatic, cf. improvisa, 1. 19.

17. miles] Obviously from the next clause, 'the Italian soldier.'

sagittas...Parthi] The soldier fears 'the arrows and swift flight of the Parthian' because the flight was only a manœuvre

which enabled them to discharge their arrows without danger into masses of infantry who could not follow them, cf. 1. 19. 11 n.

19. robur] A dungeon in the Mamertine prison on the Capitol, made by Servius Tullius, and called after him Tullianum, was also frequently spoken of simply as Robur, 'the Strong Place.' Cf. Tac. Ann. 4. 29, robur et saxum aut parricidarum poenas minitari, Lucr. 5. 1030, verbera, carnifices, robur, pix. It was used for state prisoners, e. g. Jugurtha and the Catilinarian conspirators. The connection with catenas here makes it unlikely that it has the simple meaning of 'strength,' 'power.'

improvisa] Emphatic. But it is the unforeseen violence of death that ever has and ever will, &c.'

21. Proserpina] The first syllable is short, but 1. 28. 20 it is long, as it is in other writers.

22. Aeacum] Aeacus, Minos and Rhadamanthus, having been just and righteous rulers during life, were appointed judges of the dead.

23. discretas] Some MSS. give descriptas. Elysium was separated from Tartarus, cf. Virg. 8. 670, secretosque pios.

24. Aeoliis] Because both Sappho and Alcaeus, though Lesbians, used the Aeolic dialect. So 4. 9. 12, Aeolia puella. Sappho is acc. = Σαπφώ,

26. sonantem...dura] 'chaunting in fuller tone with golden quill the ills...'

sonantem governs dura. Many intransitive verbs are allowed in poetry to be used transitively in a secondary sense: so here sonare = 'to describe sonorously,' ludere 1. 32. 2 and 4. 9.9 = 'to write sportively,' deproperare 2. 7. 24= 'to make hastily,' contremuit 2. 12. 7='shook with fear of,' palluit 3. 27. 28 'paled for fear of,' lusit 4. 9. 9 'wrote sportively,' arsit 4. 9. 13 'was hotly in love with,' silebo 4. 9. 31 'pass over in silence.' plenius, i. e. in comparison with Sappho's plaintive feminine laments; Alcaeus' strains had a fuller, manlier ring.

27. plectro] λýêтρov (from λnoow) 'the striking thing,' 'quill.'

dura navis dura] Cf. 1. 16. 3 n.

28. fugae belli] Cf. 1. 32. 5 n.: fugae='exile.'

29. sacro digna silentio] 'things worthy of reverend silence.' What Horace means by a reverend silence' in connection with poetry he best explains himself, 3. 1. 2-4, Favete linguis: carmina non prius | audita Musarum sacerdos | ...canto, keep a religious silence: I the Muse's priest sing hymns unheard before.'

32. densum umeris] 'thick-packed, shoulder to shoulder.' bibit aure] 'drinks in with the ear,' i. e. listens eagerly to. Cf. Ovid, Trist. 3. 5. 4, auribus ista bibi; Virg. Aen. 4. 359, auribus hausi.

33. carminibus stupens] 'dazed by the strains.'

34. demittit aures] The effect produced on Cerberus is a sort of stupor (stupens); he does not listen, for to listen he would 'prick his ears' (cf. aures acutas 2. 19. 4), but he is lulled into forgetfulness of his duties as a watch-dog, 'he lets his dark ears droop.'

centiceps] Hesiod, Theog. 312, speaks of Cerberus as kúva TEVтNKOVтαKÁρNov; Sophocles, Trach. 1098, as тpixрavov, and he is generally so represented. It is a pure matter of poetic caprice or convenience how many heads he has.

36. Eumenidum] Evμevides, 'the kindly' or 'gracious god. desses,' i.e. the Furies, so called euphemistically from a desire to avoid ill-omened expressions. Cf. such phrases as wóvTOS eðželvos, evppový (=night), &c. They are depicted with snaky tresses, cf. Virg. Georg. 4. 482, implexae crinibus angues Eumenides. recreantur='find rest' or 'relief.'

37. quin et...] 'nay even...,' cf. 3. 11. 21 n.

Prometheus] This form of the legend, which makes Prometheus still undergo punishment in Tartarus (cf. 2. 18. 35, Epod. 17. 67) is known to no other extant author.'-Wickham. For the usual account see Class. Dict.

Pelopis parens] Tantalus.

38. laborum decipitur] 'are cheated of their toils.' The genitive seems dependent on the sense of 'forgetfulness' or 'freedom' contained in decipitur; without knowing it they become forgetful of or free from their agonies. Some good MSS. give laborem, which would be an acc. of respect, but seems less elegant.

P. II.

19

Prometheus et Pelopis parens... decipitur] The verb is in the singular in accordance with Horace's favourite practice of putting a singular verb even after two nominatives, if the last one be singular. Cf. 2. 1. 28, 2. 11. 2 Cantaber et Scythes cogitet, 3. 11. 22 Ixion Tityosque risit, 2. 18. 26 pellitur et uxor et vir, 3. 2. 7 matrona et virgo suspiret, 4. 5. 22 mos et lez edomuit; but see 3. 16. 7 n.

39. Orion] The great hunter still follows the same pursuit in the under world.

40. timidos lyncas] λúyć, λvyκós, masc. or fem.

ODE XIV.

'Alas, Postumus, life is fast slipping away: from death neither piety nor prayers nor costly hecatombs can win a respite; even the strongest and most daring of the sons of earth the river of death imprisons, yes, the river we must all cross, rich and poor alike: thither, for all our care and caution, we must all wend our way, quitting all that we hold most dear, leaving to a reckless heir the wealth of which we called ourselves the owners.'

For the whole tenour of the Ode cf. 2. 3 and Introduction.

1. Postume, Postume] Horace is very fond of this repetition of a word: its use is to give emphasis ('Reduplication is the earliest, certainly the most natural method of expressing greater intensity of feeling,' Peile's Etymology, q. v.); the peculiar emphasis is, however, to be determined by the context in each case. Here the object is to intensify the idea of sadness; so too occidit, occidit, 4. 4. 69. Cf. also the effect of such expressions as 'vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, all is vanity,' and for the special effect of the repetition of a proper name, St Matt. 23. 37, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, &c.,' St Luke 10. 41, Martha, Martha.' Cf. too 3. 3. 18 Ilion, Ilion. On the other hand cf. 2. 17. 10 ibimus, ibimus (strong resolution), 1. 13. 1 Telephi...Telephi (fondness), 1. 35. 15 ad arma...ad arma, 4. 2. 49 io Triumphe... io Triumphe, 4. 13. 1 audivere Di...Di audivere (exultation), 4. 13. 10 te quia...te quia (derision).