admiration, but rather perhaps on the contrary, that there seems to be nothing prominent about them; the various requisites of excellence are harmoniously blended, without exaggeration, and the mind receives that satisfaction which refuses to be asked how it came to pass. Their style is sufficiently characteristic not to repel imitation, though with many of its most successful imitators the process is doubtless mainly intuitive: yet, on the other hand, it is not so peculiar as to render imitation an act of ridiculous presumption. Less frequently pictorial than that which preceded it—the style of Lucretius and Catullus—it is at the same time more artistic single sentences are not devoted to the uniform development of a particular effect, but a series of impressions is produced by appeals made apparently without any principle of sequence, to the different elements of the mind, sense, fancy, feeling, or memory, and the task of reducing them to harmony is left to the reader's sympathizing instinct. It is a power which appears to deal with language not by violence, but by persuasion, not straining or torturing it to bring out the required utterance, but yielding to it, and, as it were, following its humours. Language is not yet studied for its own sake; that feature belongs to the postAugustan time of the decline of poetry; but it has risen from subordination into equality, and the step to despotic supremacy is but a short one.' Age, see Dunlop, History On the poetry of the Augustan of Roman Literature, vol. III. Keble, Prael. Acad. xxxvi.-xl. ii. Cruttwell's Latin Literature, Part 11. ch. i.-iv. Sellar, Roman Poets of the Augustan Age, Virgil. L. 4. Cymaei, i.e. foretold by the Sibyl of Cumae. L. 6. Vingo, Astraea, who quitted earth in the iron age. L. 10. Apollo. The great year was, according to the Sibylline oracles, one of ten cycles, the last one being that of the sun-god Apollo. te L. 1. decus hoc aevi, this glory of the age will begin (life).' inibit is used absolutely as in ineunte anno. consule, B.C. 40, the date of the Treaty of Brundusium between Octavian, Antony, and Sextus Pompey, brought about by Maecenas and Pollio's mediation, and regarded by Virgil as the inauguration of a new era. L. 4. irrita, sc. facta. L. 5. deum, divis, etc. Octavian and his leading partizans. L. 9. bacchar, foxglove; colocasium, Egyptian bean. acanthus, brank-ursine. L. 4. luto, woad. L. 6. Talia saecla, etc. Cf. Catull. lxiv. 326. 'Currite ducentes subtegmina currite fusi.' L. 9. Cara, etc. 'dear shoot of a divine breed, mighty germ of a future Jupiter.' Munro. As to who is meant by this child born in Pollio's consulship, whether an ideal or imaginary representative of the future race, or a son of Pollio, C. Asinius Gallus, see Merivale, ch. xxvii., and Sellar's Virgil, p. 148. The latter view is held by Dr. Kennedy, the former by Merivale. This Idyll is imitated from the Thalysia of Theocritus. It is interesting from the personal danger incurred by Virgil from the centurion who claimed his land. Varus (p. 75, 1. 8) is L. Alfenus Varus, who succeeded Pollio as Governor of Gallia Cisalpina, and either could not or would not protect the poet. L. 6. quod nec bene vertat. Cf. nec sit mihi credere.' Nec is so used for ne in prayers. L. 13. Chaonias. See below, on p. 77, 1. 3, and p. 89, 1. 17. L. 1. quis spargeret, i.e. ' would sing how the ground was covered.' Cf. Phaethontiadas musco circumdat. Ecl. vi. 62. Sili qui perjuria premis, etc. Martial (p. 296, 1. 13). L. 10. Cremona had supported the republican side. L. 14. et me fecere. Cf. Theoc. vii. 37, xai yàp syù Maσãv καπυρὸν στόμα. L. 21. quis est nam ludus, Cf. Theoc. xi. 42, ràv yλavnàv δὲ θάλασσαν ἔα ποτὶ χέρσον ἐρεχθεῖν. 394 L. 2. numeros memini (et recitarem) si verba tenerem. L. 3. antiquos signorum ortus. For antiquorum by Enallage, cf. p. 65, l. 13. L. 4. Dionaei, i.e. descended from Dione, mother of Venus. Cf. patrium sidus (p. 124, 1. 11). L. 10. oblita, passive. Cf. mercato cultu,' p. 184, 1. 13, and note. L. 11. lupi. Cf. Plato, Rep. i. 336. xaì πроoßλétur äutòv ἐφοβούμην, καί μοι δοκῶ εἰ μὴ πρότερος ἑωράκη ἀυτὸν, ἢ ἐκεῖνος ἐμὲ. ἄφωνος ἂν γενέσθαι. L. 14. Et nunc, etc. ηνίδε σιγᾷ μὲν πόντος σιγῶντι δ ̓ ἀῆται. Theoc. ii, 38. L. 3. Strymoniae. The Strymon was frequented by cranes. Notice Virgil's use of geographical epithets to embellish his poetry. Cf. Chaoniae aquilae, above, p. 74, 1. 13. L. 16. sublimem expulsam, prolepsis. Cf. p. 62, 1. 10. ita here is ita turbine nigro, a particle of transition, sira, 'and then.' So Dr. Kennedy. See his remarks on the perfect structure of these lines. L. 3. humilis, causative, laying low.' Cf. Securos latices.' Aen. vi. 715. exsangue cuminum. Hor. Ep. 1. 19, 18. L. 12. iterum videre Philippi. Perhaps='Philippi beheld a second battle;' but still Thessaly is erroneously transformed to Emathia, and Haemus is in Thrace, while Philippi is in Macedonia. See on p. 265, No. clxxxvii. L. 20. Di patrii, etc. Romulus is specified as one of the di Indigetes, Vesta as one of the di patrii. K. L. 22. iuvenem, about 28 years old, when this was written. L. 3. Euphrates. Antonius was resisting the Parthians. L. 7. Addunt, they quicken their speed from space to space.' Alluding to the seven circuits, called spatia: addo = didóra, to advance. See Kennedy. L. 6. Tot congesta, e.g. Volaterrae, Populonia, Cortona, Anxur, Signia, Cora, Norba, Setia, Tusculum. L. 9. Lari, Lago di Como. Benace, Lago di Garda. L. 11. portus. The Portus Julius begun B.C. 37, on the Bay of Baiae; claustra, the breakwater shutting off the Lucrine Lake, with a passage to admit ships. The Lucrine Lake was nearly filled up in 1538, when Monte Nuovo was thrown up. L. 26. Ascraeum, Hesiodic. L. 3. in denso ubere, etc. 'In close-planted fruitfulness the vine is not less active.' K. L. 5. in unguem. The exact arrangement of the quincunx is meant. Cf. 'ad unguem factus homo,' from the sculptor passing his nail over the statue to detect any flaw (tovuxiÇav). L. 7. Ut saepe. Cf. Lucretius, p. 31, 1. 7, sq. L. 20. vomit. Cf. the term vomitoria for the openings in theatres. L. 10. sacra fero sacerdos sum. sacerdos.' K. = Horace's Musarum L. 26. Acherontis. Cf. Lucretius, p. 35, 1. 1. L. 30. fratres, sc. Phraates and Tiridates' quarrels. L. 1. coniurato, from the custom of the Dacians to draw water from the Danube, when about to undertake an expedition, and swear by it not to return till they had conquered. Merivale. L. 6. tabularia. He has no farm contracts, the records of which were kept in the archives. At Rome the best known of the tabularia was on the north-west of the Forum. L. 10. Sarrano, i.e. Tyrian, from Sarra, the old name of Tyre. L. 13. enim, to emphasize the preceding word, 'redoubled as it is.' K. L. 16. Pastor ab Amphryso, i.e. Amphrysius, the Apollo vópos of the Greeks. Cf. Turnus Herdonius ab Aricia Liv. I. 50. See the opening of Euripides' Alcestis. L. 18. omnia, etc. So Chaerilus had complained. L. 1. volitare. Cf. on p. 15, 1. 6. 88. LXXI. 89. LXXIII. 90. 91. LXXV. L. 11. ludosque Molorchi, i.e. the Nemean games. Molorchus was a shepherd who entertained Hercules when he slew the Nemean lion. Cf. p. 298, 1. 23. L. 17. intexti tollunt, etc. The curtain drawn up from below was embroidered with figures of Britons, who appeared to lift it. Cf. Ovid, p. 222, 1. 15. L. 22. pulsum Niphatem, i.e. the mountaineers on Mount Niphates, in Armenia. Cf. note on p. 339, 1. 17. L. 23. fidentemque fuga, etc. 'Flying behind them shot Sharp sleet of arrowy showers against the face Cf. p. 198, 1. 22. L. 25. bisque triumphatas, etc., either, bini triumphi, a pair of victories; or, perhaps, two victories over the Cantabrians in the west, and two in the east, i.e. over Egypt and Parthia. L. 17. Amyclaeum, i.e. Spartan, an epitheton ornans, as is the following Cressa. Cf. on p. 77, 1. 3. L. 2. iniusto sub fasce. pounds weight. hosti, etc. The Roman soldier carried sixty 'And ere the foeman looks for him hath pitched K. Notice the unusual sense of agmen, of an army not on the march, and see Kennedy's note. L. 6. redit Rhodope, etc. Rhodope in Thrace, after running east, turns straight to the north. For medius having this force, see Kennedy on 'medium mare,'' open sea.' Ecl. viii, 58. L. 20. vertere, intransitive, as volvo, ingemino, praecipito. L. 8. Quid labor. Cf. Lucretius, p. 32, 1. 1. sq. L. 14. Ni traham-canerem. Perhaps the pres. conj. is accounted for by the sit in forsitan. K. |