Contra non ulla est oleis cultura, neque illae 420 425 430 435 440 Quas animosi Euri assidue franguntque feruntque, Navigiis pinos, domibus cedrumque cupressosque; 421. Exspectant, require.'-422. Haeserunt, have taken root.'423. Ipsa,of itself.' Satis, 'to the plants.' Some take it as the adverb, but in that sense it generally requires the genitive. It refers to the young olive-plants: the verb sero, from which it is derived, refers to planting as well as sowing. Dente unco, with the curved hoe.'-425. Hoc, sc. ob, wherefore." Nutritor = nutri, nurture. Nutrior, according to Priscian (8, 5, 26), was an old form for nutrio. 427. Vires suas, 'the necessary sap.'-428. Vi propria, by their own nature.' Indiga, sc. sunt poma, meaning all other fruit-trees generally. 6 6 429. Nec minus interea; that is, while the vineyard requires such incessant care. Nec minus are to be construed with omne; that is, all other species of trees, as well as those already mentioned, have their several uses.-432. Pascuntur, sc. taedas. Torches' were made of any combustible wood.-433. Et, and then.' This verse is omitted in some important manuscripts.-436. Satis, the vines,' or rather young plantations' of any sort. Melli; that is, to the bees.'-437. Undantem buxo Cytorum buxum undantem in Cytoro. Cytorus was a mountain in Paphlagonia. There was also a town of the same name.-443. Domibus, for building.'-444. Radios, spokes.' Tympana, drum-wheels;' that Agricolae, et pandas ratibus posuere carinas. 6 445 450 455 460 is, solid.-445. Pandas carinas, lay down the curved keels of ships.'-447. Bona bello cornus, because, says Pliny, tota ossea est; that is, without any visible medulla. Cf. A. 9, 698.—448. Ituraeos, 'Iturean.' The Ituraei were an Arab tribe in Coelesyria, in Palestine, to the east of the Jordan, famed for their skill with the bow, to which Cicero also alludes (Phil. 2, 44). Hence Iturean becomes here merely an ornative epithet.-449. By joining nec with non in verse 450, the construction is rendered plain by bringing the nom. plur. tiliae immediately before its verb accipiunt.-453. Alveo, pronounced älv-yō, a spondee. Some copies read alvo, but Wagner very properly questions its genuineness. 455. Causas, incentive,' 'incitement.' The following verses allude to the battle of the Centaurs and Lapithae at the nuptials of Pirithous and Hippodamia.-457. This idea was no doubt suggested by some old bass-reliefs. 458. Nimium= valde or maxime; fortunatos nimium =. fortunatissimos. -462. Mane salutantum. It was a matter of etiquette for clients to pay an early visit to their patrons. Vomit, pours forth,' expressive of crowds. The doors of the theatres were called vomitoria.-463. Testudine. Some of the Romans were so extravagant as to overlay their doors and their framework with Indian tortoise-shell, and even this was in addition inlaid or studded with precious stones, to which Virgil perhaps refers by varios. Cf. Lucan. 10, 120.-464. Illusas, 'embroidered,'' fancifully ornamented.' Vestes, coverlets.' Ephyreia aera, vessels of Corinthian bronze,' a metallic composition particularly admired by antiquaries of that day. Ephyra was the ancient name of Corinth. · Alba neque Assyrio fucatur lana veneno, Me vero primum dulces ante omnia Musae, 465 470 475 Unde tremor terris; qua vi maria alta tumescant, 480 = 465. Assyrio veneno, the Assyrian (that is, Phoenician) dye.' In like manner, it is called by the Greeks águazov.-466. Liquidi, 'clear,' 'transparent' oil. Usus olivi oleum, quo utuntur (Heyne).-467. Nescia fallere, a stranger to disappointment or reverse; or with others: ignorant of guile;' that is, free from all deceit, marked by purity of principle and a total absence of fraud and deception. This is decidedly the preferable rendering.-468. Latis otia fundis, calm repose in open fields;' not 'extensive farms.' In verse 412, Virgil cautions against extensive possessions.-469. Vivi lacus, &c., natural lakes, but cool valleys.' 6 Cf. 475. Heyne joins primum ante omnia; but Wagner, Voss, &c., dulces ante omnia, referring these words to the Muses.-476. Quarum sacra fero; that is, whose priest I am.' Percussus, enchanted,'' spellbound'. -a metaphor from the stroke' of a talismanic wand. Lucretius, 1, 922-477. Coeli vias et sidera; that is, vias siderum in coelo.-478. Defectus.... labores, the various alterations of the solar heat (in the different seasons); and the eclipses (varying phases) of the moon.'-479. Qua vi, by what powerful cause.'- -482. Tardis noctibus,the summer nights,' slow in coming; or, the winter nights,' tedious in passing.-484. If, however, the chill blood around my heart shall have prevented me from penetrating into these departments of nature (that is, into a knowledge of, &c.), may the country, &c., satisfy me; may I be contented with (amem),' &c. Many ancient philosophers thought that the blood around the heart was the seat of the understanding, and that the power of the one depended on the temperature of the other. Empedocles said: αἷμα γὰρ ἀνθρώποις Rura mihi et rigui placeant in vallibus amnes; 485 Felix, qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas, 490 Panaque Silvanumque senem Nymphasque sorores! 495 Illum non populi fasces, non purpura regum Aut doluit miserans inopem, aut invidit habenti. 500 Teginάgdióv kori vóŋμæ. -486. O, ubi campi, &c.; that is, O, utinam sit qui me sistat, ubi, &c. Campi Spercheosque; that is, campi ad Spercheum, the Thessalian plains; or more freely, the plains laved by the Spercheus.'-487. Bacchata, the scene of revelry.' 488. Taygěta, sc. ögn, a chain of mountains running through Laconia, from Arcadia. 6 6 490. Felix, qui, &c. This verse, with the next two, summarily expresses the cold and gloomy doctrines of the Epicureans, in whose tenets Virgil had been educated-no Divine Providence, no destiny, no future state.-491. Metus omnes, all superstition.'-493. Fortunatus, &c.; that is, next to the philosopher in happiness ranks the farmer.496. Flexit, has influenced' or 'moved; that is, has induced to abandon his calm and peaceful mode of life. Infidos fratres; alluding to Tiridates and Phrahates, rival claimants of the Parthian throne.497. Aut.... Istro, or the Dacian descending from the conspiring Ister; that is, from the banks of the Danube, always the seat of conspiracy against the Roman power. These barbarian excursions across the Danube ceased not to annoy the Romans, until the consulship of Q. Tubero and Paulus Fabius, 742 A. U. C. (Suet. Aug. 21).-498. Res Romanae, the Roman power (or empire), and kingdoms destined to fall beneath it.'-501. Ferrea jura, the rigorous laws, the noisy forum, or the record-offices of the people.' The tabularium was in the court of the Temple of Liberty, and here all documents relating to the revenue and its farmers were registered and made public.-503. Sollicitant alii, &c. In this passage, the poet shews the superiority of agriculture over many other occupations; and first presents three classes of them to our view-the trader, the warrior, and the flatterer of the powerful. Freta caeca,' seas full of hidden dangers.' Ruunt in In ferrum, penetrant aulas et limina regum; Hinc anni labor; hinc patriam parvosque nepotes 505 510 520 Sustinet; hinc armenta boum meritosque juvencos. 515 6 525 ferrum, rush to arms.'-504. Penetrant, insinuate themselves into courts and the mansions of the great.' The same sense of rex may be compared in Hor. Epist. 1, 17, 43, &c.-506. Gemmā = poculo gemmato. Sarrano, Tyrian.' The earlier Latin name of Tyre was Sarra. The original Phoenician name was Tzor or Sor, for which the Carthaginians said Tzar or Sar, to which the Romans added a feminine termination, making it Sarra; whence the adjective, Sarranus Tyrius. Servius says sar was the Phoenician for murex, the shell-fish which yielded the purple dye, so famous.-507. Incubat, sleeps upon.' Cf. Hor. Sut. 1, 1, 70. -508. Stupet attonitus Rostris, is lost in admiration of the public speakers.-510. Gaudent, &c., allude to the civil wars between the triumvirs, and their result.-514. Hinc anni labor, with this begins the labour of the year.'-517. Cerealis mergite culmi, with the sheaf of Ceres' stalk; that is, with sheaves of corn.'-518. Proventu, with increase.' Vincat, more than fills,'' proves too large for.'-520. Glande laeti (not glande redeunt) is the construction.-521. Ponit, yields,' supplies; lit. 'lays down.'-528. Ignis in medio; that is, on the altar.' Cratera coronant may mean either, 'fill the cup to the brim,' ་ 6 |