driven from Rome by the triumph of Sylla's partisans: during his flight, he was compelled to hide himself in the marshes of Minturnæ, 'Cannâ palustri.' Cf. Juv. Sat. X. 276. 14. The sense is: we can hardly make sure even of the present hour. 8. IN HUMAN AFFAIRS BLESSINGS ARE MINGLED WITH EVILS. called Scazon Iambics: i. e. Iambics 10. THE CHARMS OF SONG. 1. The Sirens were fabulous beings, believed to have the power of enchanting anyone who listened to their songs. 2. quamlibet admissas] "howsoever swift." Cf. Cas. B. G. i. 22: 9. THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. The drift of the passage is this: the different kinds of poetry require congenial metres and styles of expres-Considius admisso equo ad eum accursion. Thus, Hexameter verse is most rit," rides up to him at full speed." appropriate to Epic poetry; elevation and passion belong to Tragedy; the familiar language of ordinary life [usus medii] is naturally the language of Comedy; Iambics are the favourite metre of personal invective: Elegiacs of love. 1. Mæonio pede] "in Homeric measure," i. e. in heroic verse. Mæonia was an ancient name for Lydia: a province of Asia Minor, in which Homer is supposed to have been born. 2. deliciis] "for prettinesses," "pleasantries." 3-5. The cothurnus was a highheeled buskin worn by tragic actors: the 'soccus,' or slipper, was worn by comedians. Usibus e mediis,'" from ordinary customs," i. e. " from common life." The well-known lines of Horace (A. P. 89) illustrate the text: "Versibus exponi tragicis res comica non vult: Indignatur item privatis ac prope SOCCO Dignis carminibus narrari cœna Thyestæ." 5-7. stringatur] "let it be drawn," i. e. as a sword, "whether it be the quick Iambic measure, or drag the last foot:" alluding to what are 3-5. Sisyphides] means Ulysses, whom scandal asserted to be a son of Sisyphus. In 'sua corpora,' the plural is used poetically for the singular. resolvit] means "unbound." When Ulysses approached the isle on the beach of which the Sirens were sit ting, and trying to allure him and his friends, he stuffed the ears of his companions with wax, to prevent them from listening, and tied himself to the mast, till he was beyond their reach. 6. Rhodopeïus] from Rhodope, a mountain in Thrace. Cf. Virg. G. IV. 461. 6. Canem] Cerberus: whom Virgil, among other poets, stations at the entrance of Tartarus: see Æn. VI. 417. 7. Vindex...matris] Amphion killed Lycus and Dirce, who had illtreated his mother Antiope. It is said that, when he played his lyre, the stones spontaneously fitted themselves into the walls of Thebes: "Dictus et Amphion," says Horace, "Thebanæ conditor arcis, Saxa movere sono testudinis, et prece blandâ Ducere, quo vellet." A. P. 394. 10. piscis] the dolphin, who, delighted with Arion's music, saved him from drowning. 13. uda] 'naturally liquid:" a better reading than nuda,' which Burmann prefers. Cf.Virg. G. III. 364: Cæduntque securibus humida vina." 14. hausta] "draughts:" the participle is used as a substantive. Cf. Virg. G. II. 398: "Cui nunquam exhausti satis est," where, says Prof. Conington, on the authority of Servius, 'exhausti''exhaustionis.' 3. editis] thinks Burmann profitemini:' the allusion 15. concrescant] The subjunc-«editis" tive is used, because the clause is being to the registration of the ages of indirect. 16. fragiles aquæ] lit. "the water become brittle;" i. e. lumps of ice. 17. papyrifero] i. e. the Nile. Join 'ipse' with 'Ister.' 19. durantibus] "freezing." 20. tectis] i. e. covered with ice. 23. novos pontes] "novel bridges:" i. e. bridges formed by the ice. If so, the citizens before the censors. man 66 of hope." 9. qui canent frutices] "which are now gray," i. e. withered, "shrubs." 13. a virgine] "from maidenhood:" i. e. from early life. 12. FIDELITY IN FRIENDSHIP. 2. sustinuisse] "The Latin language often admits the perfect infinitive where the English language uses the simple infinitive; but it will be seen in such cases that the completion or consequences of the action are regarded more than the action itself." Key, Lat. Gram. § 125 b. Thus, in the words 'quiesse erit melius,' Liv. III. 48, which mean literally," it will be better for you to have been quiet," the conse- | 47, below. 14. subitæ]" suddenly." In Latin and Greek, the adjective is constantly used, especially in poetry, for the English adverb. 16. cornua jacta] "the shedding of the horns." See note on Ovid 39, 14. COURTESY PROCURES FRIENDS. 6. Chaonis ales] i.e. the dove: socalled, because doves were said to have brought the cominand to found the oracle of Dodona, in Chaonia. Soph. Trach. 171. quos colat] "to inhabit:" see note on Ovid 1, 8. 7. i. e. a bough which has grown crooked on a tree can only be bent by humouring it—not by violence. 8. experiere] On this idiomatic use of the Latin future for the English present, see L. E. p. 178, Rule III. Madvig's Lat. Gram. § 339, Obs. 1. As to the sentiment, compare the parallel passage in Soph. Ant. 706. 10. contra.. unda] i. e. against the current. 13, 14. Nonacrinâ] means Arcadian: from Nonacris, an Arcadian fountain. Atalanta was desired by her father to marry: when she made it a condition that her suitors should contend with her in the footrace; he who outran her, was to be rewarded with her love those who failed, were to be put to death by her hand. Meilanion, by the aid of Aphrodite, overcame her: and became her husband.* 15. FORBIDDEN PLEASURE PLEASES. 6. fulminis modo] "like lightning." 11. The construction is: ' 'Danaë, quæ fuerat tradita virgo in thalamum perennem saxo ferroque [firmly built with stone and iron], mater erat. See Smith, Dict. Myth. Horace, Od. III. 16, fully explains this text. 16. THE LOVE OF MONEY GROWS AS FAST AS MONEY ITSELF GROWS. 1. habendi] sub. divitias. 2. The sense is: The love of money *We beg pardon of Mr. Valpy, who, in his" Electa ex Ovidio et Tibullo," p. 215. ascertains that Atalanta "was won by the deserving attentions of Meleager (!), and married him." has scarcely any room to advance further. 3. pluris sub. pretii: "are of more account.' 5. Paley says that the 'Casa Romuli' was kept up in its original state, or according to some traditional standard, till a late æra in the empire. See Virg. En. VIII. 658. 7. The temple was so low, that a full length statue of Jupiter could hardly be placed in it. 8. fictile] of clay; not of gold, as in Ovid's time. Even the four-horse chariot, which was placed in the Capitoline temple, when first built, was of baked clay, manufactured in Etruria. Nieb. R. H., I. 491. Paley thinks Ovid had in view the lines of Propertius, V. 1.5: "Fictilibus crevere Deis hæc aurea templa, Nec fuit opprobrio facta sine arte casa. 9. The order is: Frondibus ornabant Capitolia, quæ nunc [ornant] gemmis.' 13. posito modo aratro] "just after laying aside the plough." Cf. Hor. Od. I. 12, 41, seqq. Prætor' was the ancient military title of the consul: Varro, L. L., v. 887. Cincinnatus is alluded to. 'Jura dare' means "to legislate": 'jus dare," "to decide causes.' Paley. 14. Fabricius, when censor, A.U.C. 478, excluded Rufinus from the senate, for having ten pounds' weight of wrought silver. Gellius, N. A., IV. 8. 18. quum] "although." 19-21. The order is: 'Certant quærere ut absumant, (et) requirere absumpta; they strive to gain, in order to consume: [and] to regain what they have consumed: and these very alternations [of getting and spending] feed the vices [of avarice and luxury]. 21. Comparisons of avarice to the dropsy are common in the Roman poets. See Hor. Od. II. 2, 13, On 'ab unda' Paley says: "Ab is sometimes added with neuter verbs, and even with active, when the cause rather than the instrument is implied." See note on Ovid 33, 16, below. 23. "Price, i. e. money, is now precious" a play on words: one of Ovid's favourite conceits: compare the passage in Fasti III. 116, where there is a pun between 'tenere signa," "to understand the celestial bodies," and the same words in the sense "to grasp the standards." 17. THE BIRTH OF THE NEW YEAR. 1. Jane] See Myth. Dict. origo] Because the year began with January: see above, Ovid 3, 9. 3. ducibus] He probably alludes to Tiberius and Germanicus, the latter of whom had gained a victory over the Catti and Cherusci, and other German tribes, A.U.C. 770. 5. Patribus] i. e. Senators. 6. templa] not the temple of Janus, the opening of which was the signal of war [Virg. En. VII. 611], but the temples in general. Paley remarks that Janus bore a key as a symbol, whence ' resera.' 'Candida ''marmorea:' it was said of Augustus, that he "latericiam [built of brick] invenit Romam, marmoream reliquit." 7. linguisque... favete] = evpnueîre: "be holy in speech and thought." 'Favete linguis, Hor. Od. III. 1,2: means, "keep holy silence:" see Macleane ad 1. 11. odoratis] Frankincense, cinnamon, saffron, etc., were burnt on the altars. Keightly. 12. spica cilis sa] the saffron from Mount Corycus in Cilicia. sonet] "crackles:" this was considered a good omen. Paley compares Tibull. II. 5, 81. 13. aurum] i. e. the gilded roofs. 15, 16. intactis] "new." Tarpeias arces] i. e. the Capitol. It was the practice, ever since A.U.C. 601, for the consuls elect, followed by the people, to go in procession to the Capitol, and offer a sacrifice to Jupiter. concolor] The toga was white, and a festal day was metaphorically called a white day; and was marked by a white stone; whence Persius (II. 1), writing to his friend on his birthday, says: "Hunc diem numera meliore lapillo, Qui tibi labentes apponit candidus annos." Cf. Hor. S. II. 3, 246: "cretâ [white chalk] an carbone notandi [scil dies?] 17, 18. fasces] The consuls, who were preceded by lictors carrying 'fasces,' the emblems of magistracy, entered on their office on this day. purpura] i.e. the 'trabea' worn by the consuls on solemn occasions, Virg. Æn. VII. 612. ebur] the curule chair, made of ivory. Virgil combines these two as badges of sovereignty in the speech of king Latinus, Æn. XI. 334: "Et sellam regni trabeamque insignia nostri." Paley. 19. rudes operum] "unused to work," i.e. never yoked. 'Operum ' after 'rudes' is a Græcism, like Horace's "famulis operum solutis," πóvov λeλvμévois, Od. III. 17, 16. præbent ferienda] "lend their necks to the blow:" for the restiveness of a victim was accounted a bad omen. Tac. Hist. III. 56. 20. Falisca] The animals for sacrifice came chiefly from the domain of Falerii, in Etruria, near the Clitumnus. Keightley. The district was famous for a variety of white oxen. Paley. 19 "LOFTY TOWERS CRASH TO THE GROUND WITH A HEAVIER FALL." Horace touches the same theme in the beautiful tenth ode of his second book. He and Ovid had doubtless been trained, by their vocation as Court Poets, to preach "the philosophy of Moderation." 20. APART FROM CORINNA, HOME Under the sceptre of the Caesars, political ambition, and even social distinction, had become dangerous. 1. usibus] "by experience." edocto] "thoroughly taught :" e in composition signifies completeness. 2. magna] Cf. Horace : "Dulcis inexpertis cultura potentis amici: experti metuunt," Epist. I. 18, 86. 66 7. summâ undâ] on the surface of the water." See L. E. p. 189, Rule III. 1. 8. simul] "together with itself." 9, 10. "If I had been warned of these truths" for the construction, see L. E. p. 20, Rule VII. After "debebam," sub. esse. Ovid alludes to his exile. 12. vagi] Ulysses, who was met by the shade of Elpenor, when he visited the lower world. 17, 18. quid fuit] sub. caussæ "what was the reason ?" 'Agitarit' is used in the perfect tense, because an event, completed in past time, is signified: 'signet' is used in the present, because the sea between the isles of Icaria and Patmos was still called Icarian, from the fall of Icarus, in Ovid's days. 19 hic] Icarus. IS CHEERLESS. 1. tertia] Pliny also speaks of Sulmo as one of the three towns whose districts composed the territory of the Peligni. Sulmo] 'O' at the end of a proper name, is common in prosody. Kenn. p. 132, § 211. 2. 0 ora] a region." Sulmo lay in the Valley of the Gizio, in a spacious basin formed by the junction of that river with several minor streams. 4. Icarus' dog discovered the place of its master's death, for which it was translated among the stars. 8. Pallada] i. e. the olive. Virgil's "oleæque Minerva Inventrix" (G. I. 18) explains the allusion. rarus ager] "the light soil," most favourable to vines and olives, as opposed to 'spissus,'' densus ager.' See Prof. Conington on Virg. G. II. 275. 9, 10. The construction is: 'gramineusque ces pes obumbrat humum madidam rivis labentibus per herbas resurgentes.' 11. ignis] i. e. Corinna. 13. medius, etc.] 'between Castor and Pollux." The same construction occurs in Vell. I, 2: Peloponnesii ille] Dædalus. Icarus flew too near Megaram, mediam Corintho Athenis |