EXCURSUS.

EXCURSUS I.

THE RIVER OAXES.

Pars Scythiam et rapidum cretae veniemus Oaxem.-Ec. i. 65.

THE note on rapidum cretae in this verse in Servius is as follows: "Hoc est lutulentum, quod rapit cretam. Cretam terram albam dixit; nam Oaxis fluvius est Mesopotamiae qui velocitate sua rapiens albam terram lutulentus efficitur. Vel Oaxis fluvius Scythiae; in Creta insula non est: sed aqua cretei coloris est. Oaxem, Philisthenes ait Apollinis et Anchilenae filium; hunc Oaxem in Creta oppidum condidisse, quod suo nomine nominavit ut Varro ait: Quos magno Anchiale partus adducta dolore, Et geminis capiens tellurem Oeaxida palmis Scindere dicta."

This was evidently the prevalent mode of interpreting this passage in antiquity; we might say the only one, were it not that the assertion in Creta insula non est might seem to point at one similar to that now prevalent. As to the latter part of the note, and the extract from Varro Atacinus, whose translation of the Argonautics it is taken from, we may safely regard it as nothing more than a display of the annotator's learning, for it proves nothing one way or

the other.

Vibius Sequester says that in the isle of Crete there was a stream named Oaxes: his only authority however was, in Heyne's opinion, this verse of Virgil. Politian held Cretae in this verse to be a proper name, and he has been followed so generally by the commentators, that it looks like presumption in any one now to maintain the old interpretation. It has however been done by Salmasius, Duker, Voss, Fea, and a few other critics, with whom we cordially agree.

The Mesopotamia of Servius in this place is not that between the Euphrates and the Tigris, but Sogdiana, the Mawer-en-naher of

the Orientals, the region between the Oxus and the Jaxartes, to the north of Bactria, so named from its lying between rivers like the former. Of the Oxus Polybius says (x. 48, 4), þépetai dià teλiádos χώρας, πολλῷ καὶ θολερῷ ῥεύματι. We will observe by the way that Virgil seems to have been a reader of Polybius; see on Ec.vii. 4. Arrian (De Exp. Alex. iii. 29) says among other things of the Oxus, βάθος δὲ οὐδὲ πρὸς λόγον τοῦ εὔρεος ἀλλὰ πολὺ δέ τι βαθύτερος καὶ aμμódns; and Curtius (vii. 10), Hic quia limum vehit turbidus semper. We may here observe, that the Latin word creta denoted any kind of marly substance. The name of this river in Polybius is "Oέos, in Arrian and Strabo 'έos. The change by Virgil into Oaxes presents a difficulty; but in Callimachus (who is followed by Catullus) we have 'Qapiwv for 'Opiwv with the penult. short. Wagner no doubt objects that though a may be inserted after w, it cannot after o. We know not on what grounds he makes this assertion, but surely it was no greater licence in Virgil to shorten the o than in Callimachus to shorten the long i of 'Opiwv. The change of termination is also a difficulty, but possibly Virgil wrote Oaxum, and the copyists changed it on account of the analogy with Jaxartes, Araxes, Hydaspes, Euphrates, and so many rivers of the East; or the poet himself might have made the change for the same reason. But Wagner further says, "rapidus sollemne est fluviorum epitheton celeritatem indicans, sed ejusmodi epitheta non facile ad alium sensum detorta videas. Denique docendum erat rapidus idem significare quod rapax, et adjunctum sibi habere genitivum."

In all probability it was this wrong conception of the original meaning of rapidus that caused the current interpretation of this place of Virgil. It is thought to be the same as its derivatives rapido It., rapide Fr., rapid. We will endeavour to show that this is by no means the case; but we will previously ask a question or two of the critics, namely, Can you give a single instance from a classic author of such a construction as Oaxes Cretae? Could any one in writing Latin say Tiberis Italiae, Rhodanus Galliae, Albis Germaniae? Must not amnis or fluvius always be added?

In the following Excursus we will show that adjectives in -idus and -ax are properly participials of the present tense, and govern a genitive case. Rapidus (from rapio) would therefore appear to be nearly equivalent to rapiens and rapax, and to signify carrying away, and hence consuming. Thus we find our poet unites it with Sol, Sirius, ignis, and aestus, and it is only in this sense that we can understand it in Aen. i. 59. Lucretius speaks of the rapidi leones (iv. 714), and of the rapidi canes that begirt Scylla (v. 893); Ovid

has rapidis rogis (Tr. i. 7, 20); and many other instances might be given. That rapidus is i. q. rapax might be thus inferred. Ennius says (ii. 46), Europam Libyamque rapax ubi dividit unda; which verse Lucretius thus imitates (i. 721), Angustoque fretu rapidum mare dividit undis. This poet also, having said (i. 15) Et rapidos tranant amnes, has only three lines after fluviosque rapaces, evidently for the sake of varying the phrase. Ovid applies the term apax to the Ionian sea (Fast. iv. 567) and to the river Ladon (vb. v. 89), and Lucan (iv. 21) to the Cinga. We certainly cannot give any instance of rapidus governing a genitive except that in the text, but we may notice the rapax virtutis of Seneca (Ep. 97, 35). We have timidus deorum (Ov. Met. v. 100) and timidus lucis (Sen. B. V. 21), gravidus metalli (Ov. Met. x. 531), and gravidus mellis (Sil. ii. 220), etc. We therefore see no difficulty in assuming that Virgil, following analogy, ventured on such an expression as rapidus cretae.

Jahn argues as follows: "Sed neque Araxes neque Oxus illo tempore (anno 712) ad imperium Romanum pertinebant, atque Itali fugitivi exsulesque, quamvis ad extremos imperii fines perfugerent, tamen intra fines imperii remanserunt. Apparet autem poetam extremas imperii partes nominare voluisse, unde Libyae (parti occidentali) opponit Scythiam (quam Orientis terram Romani in Ponto attingebant), atque Cretam insulam meridionalem Britanniae, insulae septentrionali. Fuit vero Creta versus meridiem extrema tellus, cum Aegyptus nondum in formam provinciae redacta esset. Britannia autem, quamquam inter bella civilia a Romanis relicta esset, tamen a quo tempore Julius Caesar eam invaserat et expugnasse credebatur, pro imperii parte haberi coepta est."

To this we only reply, that the poet does not say that the exiles were to remain within the bounds of the empire, for he very plainly intimates the contrary; that we nowhere find Libya placed to the west and Scythia to the east of the Roman empire; and that Horace, in odes written after this eclogue (i. 21, 15; 35, 30; iii. 5, 30), speaks of the Britons with the Persians as a people yet to be conquered.

EXCURSUS II.

LATIN PARTICIPIALS.

Thestylis et rapido fessis messoribus aestu, etc.-Ec. ii. 10.

In the preceding Excursus we ventured to assert that rapidus, instead of being an adjective and signifying swift, was properly a present participial of rapio, and therefore nearly identical with rapiens. The proofs will be seen in that Excursus: here we will endeavour to extend the principle, and show that this is the real nature of all the supposed adjectives in- idus, and that they are actives, and not passives, like the greater part of the words derived from them in modern languages.

The first we will select is aridus, which is usually understood passively and equivalent to our arid, dry. Our proof will be the fact that the part. arens is frequently employed in the sense of aridus where we should have expected that word; ex. gr.

Scatebrisque arentia temperat arva, Geor. i. 110; Pergama et arentem Xanthi cognomine rivum, Aen. iii. 350; Arentem in silvam, Aen. xii. 522; Arentesque rosas, Geor. iv. 268; Arentes arenas, Hor. C. iii. 4, 31; Arenti ramo, Ov. M. vii. 276; Arenti avena, Tibull. ii. 1, 53.

That areo is active would appear from its being joined with sitis, Ov. Her. iv. 174; Tibul. i. 4, 36. We therefore think that in arens and aridus the ancients had in view the effect of, or sensation caused by, the object to which they united them.

In like manner we shall find that candidus (unlike albus) was regarded as producing an effect or sensation, as candens so frequently takes its place. Candentis vaccae, Aen. iv, 61; candentem taurum, ib. 236; candenti elephanto, ib. vi. 896. Candens lacteus humor, Lucr. i. 259; candenti marmore, ib. ii. 766. Candentes humeros, Hor. C. i. 2,31. Candentia lilia, Ov. Met. xii. 411. We believe however that we may assert that the idea of gleaming, emitting splendour, is always included in candidus.

Calidus is, giving out heat; for we meet with calentem favillam, Hor. C. ii. 6, 22. We may notice the Spanish agua caliente, hot

water.

Timidus is i.q. timens in the following places. Quidnamst quod sic video timidum et properantem Getam? Ter. Adelph. iii. 2,7. Namque modo me intro ut corripui timidus, Ter. Hec. iii. 3, 5. Codrus pro patria non timidus mori, Hor. C. iii. 19, 2. Quid referam