Disiectae procul ut moles, desertaque montis "pendentia pumice tecta," and comp. 1. 166, "scopulis pendentibus antrum." 191, 192.] It may be doubted whether 'ut' here means 'where' or 'how.' There is no clear instance of the former in Virg. (see on 5. 329): the latter would more naturally take the subj., as 'aspice' here is more than a rhetorical pleonasm (see on E. 4. 52). If we choose the former, we may say that there is also a notion of the cave appearing just as Hercules left it, 'ut' as in v. 236 below. 66 Hic ubi disiectas moles avolsaque saxis Saxa vides" 2. 608. Rom. has 'deiectae.' 'Deserta:' the remains of the cave suggest the notion of a ruined house without inhabitants. 'Domus' for a cavern: comp. Hor. 1 Od. 7. 12, "domus Albuneae resonantis." 'Traxere ruinam' 2. 631. 193.] Submota' i. e. from the light or from sight. We might have expected 'semota,' but no MS. appears to give it, and the word is not found elsewhere in Virg. 194.] This story of Cacus and the origin of the Ara Maxuma is given substantially in the same form by Dionys. 1. 39, Livy 1.7, Prop. 4. 9, Ov. F. 1. 543 foll., the last of whom has clearly copied Virg. There were two temples of Hercules at Rome, one of Hercules Victor or Triumphalis in the Forum Boarium, between the Circus Maxumus and the river, before which was the AraMaxuma, and the other near the Porta Trigemina. See Dict. Biograph. Hercules, at the end. Dionys. (1. c.) mentions a temple of Jupiter Inventor near the Porta Trigemina, which he says was founded by Hercules. It is impossible not to see that the position of the Ara Maxuma in the Forum Boarium must have helped to suggest the story. The old pointing was after Caci:' Heyne, following the Delphin editor and others, placed it after 'tenebat,' connecting 'Caci facies,' like "Tyndaridis facies" 2. 601, though the periphrasis is there meant to indicate beauty, here the reverse. Pal., Rom., Gud., and the first reading of Med. 195 200 have 'tegebat,' a reading of which it is difficult to see the propriety, though it may have been connected with the misunderstanding of the passage. 'Semihominis' i. q. “semiferi❜ v. 267. Lucr. 2. 702 has "semiferas hominum species," which Virg. may have thought of. 196.] For 'foribus superbis' Forb. quotes 2. 504, "Barbarico postes auro spoliisque superbi," and v. 721 below, Dona recognoscit populorum aptatque superbis Postibus." Superbis' is thus an epithet both of the gate and of its owner: fixed by him in triumph to his gate.' Heyne takes 'superbis' as cruel. Comp. Manil. 4. 180, where the following lines afford a grotesque illustration of this whole passage, hunters who hang up skins and butchers who hang up meat being classed together as born under the sign of the Lion. 197.] Med. a m. p. (according to Heins., though not according to the edition of Foggini) has squallida,' which was also conjectured by Bentley on Lucan 2. 165. Wagn. contends that the orthography in itself is fatal to the reading, as Virg., according to Med. itself, always writes "squaleo," "squalor." We may connect ora tristi tabo' as in 3. 618, 66 domus sanie dapibusque cruentis," but 'pallida' apparently is meant to help the construction by its juxtaposition, though it has no real connexion with the ablatives. 198.] Atros' seems to combine the notions of mixed with smoke, and horrible, deadly. Comp. 10. 77, "face Troianos atra vim ferre Latinis," 4. 384, "sequar atris ignibus absens." 199.] Comp. 5. 372, 373 note, which will show that here illius' is emphatic: it was as Vulcan's son that he carried his giant bulk proudly. "Vasta se mole moventem" 3. 656. 200.] Et nobis:' we too have our story of divine deliverance to tell, as well as others. But possibly it may be, as he Auxilium adventumque dei. Nam maxumus ultor, was aided by Vulcan, we were helped by Hercules. Optantibus,' praying for it: comp. 9. 6, "quod optanti divom promittere nemo Auderet, volvenda dies, en, attulit ultro." 6 Aliquando' may either mean in our time,' like 'et nobis,' or it may have nearly the force of "tandem,” as in Cic. ad Quint. 13. 43, "Sero, verum aliquando tamen." For this latter sense Mr. Long refers to Cic. De Sen. 26, Sall. C. 52. 201.] Attulit auxilium adventumque dei,' a Virgilian expression for "attulit auxilium dei adventu." 66 6 202.] 'Geryonae' was restored by Heins. for Geryonis,' which is found in inferior copies, such as MS. Ball., and is the second reading of Med. Rom. has Geryoni.' Tripectora tergemini vis Geryonai Lucr. 5. 28. See on 6. 287 above. Geryon has already been mentioned 6. 289., 7.662. 204.] The Forum Boarium, in which the Ara Maxuma stood, is on the level ground close to the Tiber. 205.] Serv. and many MSS., including Gud. a m. s. and another of Ribbeck's cursives, have 'furis,' an epithet which as Heyne says, would scarcely be epic. Rom., Med., and Pal. concur in 'furiis,' which means the madness that impels to crime, Tη: comp. 1. 41, "furias Aiacis Oilei." 'Mens' is a Homeric periphrasis, so that we need not wonder that Virg. should lose sight of it before the end of the sentence. 206.] Med. (second reading) with some other MSS. and the editions before Heins. have intemptatum.' Rom., Pal., and Med. (first reading) concur in intractatum.' It seems equally vain to attempt to decide between them on internal grounds and to distinguish either from 'inausum.' 'Fuisset' is to "fuerit" as "esset" is to "sit;" and as we might have "ne quid intractatum fuerit" for "ne quid intractatum șit," so we have ne quid intractatum 205 210 fuisset' for "ne quid intractatum esset." 'Sceleris' relates to the robbery of the oxen, 'doli' to the mode of concealing them. The point of the sentence is that the madness of crime led him to complete his guilt by robbing Hercules. 207.] This and the next line are repeated more or less from G. 4. 550, 551. 'Stabulis' here and v. 213 (see note there) seems to be used, as Heyne remarks, in a wide sense, i. q. " pascuis," the cattle being supposed to pass the night where they were grazing. In Ov. 1. c. this theft seems to have been committed in the night, as Hercules discovered it on waking. 208.] Avertit,' carries off, 10. 78: comp. 1. 528. So Catull. 62 (64). 5, “ Auratam optantes Colchis avertere pellem." 'Superante:' this use of "superans" as i. q." praestans " seems rare. The word is found in Lucr. 5. 394 as an adj. in a slightly different sense, "Cum semel interea fuerit superantior ignis." 209.] This device is taken from Hom. Hymn to Hermes, 75 foll., where Hermes steals the oxen of the Gods. Pedibus rectis' may be dat., as Serv. thinks, but it is perhaps better taken as abl., of circumstance or attribute, the feet being regarded as an attribute of the footsteps instead of vice versa. 'Rectis,' straight forward. 210.] Viarum indiciis' is a periphrasis for "vestigiis." Hom. 1. c. has xvi άπoσтρéчas. 211.] Peerlkamp is probably right in separating raptos' from 'versis viarum indiciis,' so as to make 'raptos occultabat' i. q. "rapiebat et occultabat." Ribbeck adopts Wakef.'s plausible conj. 'raptor.' There is force in the imperf. occultabat,' which fixes our attention on the act while going on, and so makes us enter into Cacus' feelings, thus pointing the irony. 6 Quaerenti nulla ad speluncam signa ferebant. Felle dolor; rapit arma manu nodisque gravatum 212.] Quaerenti' (Med., Pal., Gud. a m. p.) was restored by Heins. The old reading was "quaerentem." Rom., Gud. a m. s. and two other of Ribbeck's cursives, have 'quaerentis' or 'quaerentes.' Ferebant' is used elliptically, as in 6. 295 &c., and quaerenti' is added as a sort of dat. eth. like "intranti," "descendenti." See Madv. § 241 obs. 6. دو 213.] The meaning apparently is that Hercules was shifting the quarters of his cattle and leaving that part of the country, as they had eaten down the pasturage, 'stabulis moveret' being constructed like “portis moveri" 7. 429. Virg. probably thought of "stabula movere," constructing the phrase on the analogy of “castra movere. This accords with the use of 'stabulis' v. 208. Otherwise it would be possible to make 'stabulis' dat., regarding moveret' as i. q. "admoveret," and supposing the sense to be that Cacus committed the theft during the day, and that Hercules discovered it as he was driving the cattle home to their stalls at night. Comp. E. 7. 44, and the description G. 3. 322 foll. 215 220 219.] Dorville wished to read 'exarsit et' for 'exarserat:' but the two ablatives are constructed in different ways, as in G. 3. 439 &c., though it is not easy to choose among possible constructions. Perhaps atro felle' is best taken as attributive, 'furiis' being causal or modal. Comp. Il. 1. 103 μéveos dè μéya opéves àμpiμéAaivai Пíμλavт'. Exarserat' in past time answers to the instantaneous perf. in present: comp. 2. 257. 220.] Arma roburque' may be ev dià dvoîv: Hercules however had a bow and arrows as well as a club. Nodis gravatum:' the knots are supposed to make the club heavy. Comp. 7. 507. 6 221.] Aetherii' was introduced by Burm. and retained by Heyne: but in the principal MSS. where it occurs (Med. a m. p., Gud., and another of Ribbeck's cursives) 'et' is omitted, which shows the origin of the corruption. Wagn. also observes that Olympus alone is called 66 aetherius," other mountains' aerii.' Either epithet is an exaggeration as applied to the Aventine. Cursu petit' 2. 399 &c. Speluncamque petit; pedibus timor addidit alas. It would be possible to construct 'oculis' with 'videre:' but the abl. would be weak. Serv. mentions another reading 'oculi,' which is found in a few inferior MSS. and adopted by Gossrau: but Evander does not elsewhere speak of himself as present at the scene. Gud. a m. p. has 'oculos,' which is approved by Heins. and Heyne. "Ocior Euro," 12. 733, Hor. 2 Od. 16. 24. 224.] Pedibus-alas.' It does not appear what is the original source of this metaphor, which has since become so common. The image of wings in Greek is used rather to express raising from the ground than carrying along (comp. Il. 19. 386, of Achilles, where perhaps the two notions are combined); and so where avarтepów is said of fear (Eur. Supp. 89) it expresses fluttering, not speed. 226.] Ferro et arte paterna pendebat' according to Virg.'s manner for "ferro per artem paternam pendebat" or pensum erat," ferro being explained by 'catenis' above. sus 225 230 235 237.] In adversum nitens' like "in medium niti" Lucr. 1. 1053. Adversum' might mean the side opposite to that which inclined towards the river, i. e. the right side; but it seems better to understand with reference to Hercules, who pushes full against it. 238.] 'Avolsam solvit' for "avellit et solvit," or "avellendo solvit," 'radicibus' going with both. 'Inde,' as Serv. says, may refer either to place or time: perhaps the latter is better. Inpulit; inpulsu quo maxumus intonat aether, 239.] 'Intonat' Med., Pal., Gud., 'insonat' Rom. and three of Ribbeck's cursives. Comp. generally G. 1. 329, " quo maxuma motu Terra tremit." 240.] Dissultant ripae,' from the mass falling between them. 'Refluit:' as Serv. remarks, the terror of the river is said to have produced what was really inevitable from the fall of the rock. 241.] Comp. generally 2. 483 foll. 242.] Regia,' quia ibi tyrannidem agitaret" Donatus. The repetition of 'penitus' in the next line has force, as Wagn. observes, as pointing the comparison of one wonder to another. 243.] 'Si qua' may be taken as "si quando," and referred to the class of usages noticed on 1. 181, E. 1. 54. But it may equally well express the mysterious nature of the agency. Comp. 2. 479 "qua vi maria alta tumescant." 244.] Imitated from Il. 20. 61 foll. (of the earthquake caused by Poseidon) "ESδεισεν δ ̓ ὑπένερθεν ἄναξ ἐνέρων Αϊδωνεύς• Δείσας δ ̓ ἐκ θρόνου ἆλτο, καὶ ἴαχε, μή οἱ ὕπερθεν Γαῖαν ἀναῤῥήξειε Ποσειδάων ἐνoσίχθων, Οικία δὲ θνητοῖσι καὶ ἀθανάτοισι φανήῃ Σμερδαλές, ευρώεντα, τά τε στυγέουσι θεοί περ. 245.] 'Pallida:' the epithet of the ghosts is transferred to their abode, probably with the notion of the absence of glowing, rosy light.Super' for "desuper." 246.] External authority is in favour of the omission of 'que,' Med., Pal., Gud. giving 'trepident. Ribbeck adopts it: but Wagn. seems right in retaining que,' 240 245 250 as the asyndeton does not suit a dependent sentence like this, though it is natural in an ordinary comparison expressed in the indicative. To make 'trepident' the apodosis is not to be thought of. "Trepidentque' is supported by Rom., ' trepidantque,' the ind. being evidently a mere error, just as v. 244 Rom., Pal., Gud., and the second reading of Med. have 'reserat.' 247.] Ribbeck seems right in omitting in' before 'luce' with Pal. and the original readings of Med. and Gud. The meaning then will be that Cacus is surprised by, not in the light. 248.] Rudentem' properly used of the bellowing of an animal, here of "semihominis Caci" v. 194. 'Insueta' may mean that his roars were now for the first time those of terror (comp. v. 222): but it seems rather to mean strange sounds such as are not wont to come from one in human form, though they may have been his usual utterances. So anons is used of things unpleasant. 249.] 'Telis' may be used generally, or may refer to his arrows. 250.] For molaribus' comp. II. 12. 161, κόρυθες βαλλόμεναι μυλάκεσσι. The word, which occurs again Ov. M. 3. 59, seems to be poetical, the prose expression being "molaris lapis." 'Molaribus instat' like "instant verbere" G. 3. 106. 251.] Super' 7. 559. Pal., Gud., and two other of Ribbeck's cursives have 'pericli est.' 254.] "Eripiunt subito nubes caelumque diemque Teucrorum ex oculis 1.88. |