dis, "words free from measures," i. e. prose. In the next line they are called numeri, for all poetical measure ("metre") is based upon number. Hence every metre can be represented by a number, as Hexameter, Penta-meter, Tetra-meter, Tri-meter, &c.-26. liberior toga. Children wore the toga praetexta, which boys laid aside, generally upon completing their fifteenth year, in order to assume the toga virilis or pura, here called liberior, because from this period somewhat of manly freedom was enjoyed. The ceremony attendant upon this change took place on the 16th March, during the Festival of Bacchus (Liberalia) in the forum (tirocinium fori).-27. Augustus allowed the sons of senators, and (as it would seem from this passage) the sons of the most distinguished equites, to wear the toga adorned with a broad purple stripe (toga laticlavia), which was the peculiar ornament of senators; otherwise the equestrian toga was angusticlavia ("narrow-striped")-31. cepimus... fui, this variation of number is not uncommon in the poets. -32. de viris tribus, "of the triumviri," i. e. he was one of three commissioners. He was made one of the Triumviri Capitales who had to decide petty causes, to superintend the prisons, and the execution of criminals. After

wards he was appointed one of the Centumviri, or judges who tried testamentary and even criminal causes; and in due time he was promoted to be one of the Decemviri who presided over the court of the Centumviri.-quondam, "for some time."-33. coacta = coarctata, i. e. angusta facta est. As Ovid declined to enter the Senate, when the proper time arrived, he was obliged to give up wearing the toga laticlavia, and to assume the angusticlavia.-34. illud onus, i. e., munus senatorium.-37. Aoniae sorores, i. e. the Muses, so called from Aonia, an old name for the district of Mount Helicon in Boeotia: so Milton,

"to my adventurous song That with no middle flight intends to soar Ahove the Aonian mount."-Par. Lost, I. 15.

-suadebant petere, c. inf., see Dict. suadeo, iii.-39. quot vates (poetae) tot deos.-41. legit, recitavit. It was usual for poets, before publishing, to read their works aloud to larger or smaller circles; and thus they had the benefit of criticism, while it was not too late to make corrections. These recitations were sometimes very tedious. On an occasion of this kind, after three hours of it, Diogenes the Cynic, being near the reader, and looking over his shoulder, saw the blank parchment at the close of the composition: "Cheer up, friends," cried he, "I see land."41. suas volucres, "his birds," i. e. his poem on birds.-42. Construe quae serpens necet, quae herba juvet.Macer. Aemilius Macer of Verona died B.C. 16, three years after his friend Virgil. He wrote a poem on birds, snakes, and medicinal plants. — 43. Sextus Aurelius Propertius, a distinguished elegiac poet, was born in Umbria, on the borders of Etruria. The date of his birth is uncertain, being variously placed between B.C. 57 and 46. Clinton thinks that B.C. 51 is the most likely date. His poetry is chiefly devoted to a description of his love (ignes) for Cynthia. 45. Ponticus, the composer of an epic poem, Thebäis, on the war of the Seven Chiefs against Thebes.-heroo, we may supply "" versu or "pede." The heroic verse was the hexameter; for the epos or narrative heroic poem was written in hexameters. The heroic foot is, strictly speaking, the dactyl, in place of which a spondee may be substituted.-Bassus: of this poet little is known unless he be the Bassus familiarly addressed by Propertius.-46. convictus mei, lit. "of my intimacy," i. e. of my intimate acquaintance or intimate circle of friends. - 47. tenuit, "held fast," delectavit.-Q. Horatius Flaccus of Venusia, on the confines of Lucania and Appulia (Lucanus an Appulus, anceps, as he says), was born B.C. 65, and died B.C. 8. He was the greatest of the Latin lyric poets, and was the first who introduced the Greek style into Roman lyrical poetry (Ausonia lyra). -numerosus, cf. above vv. 22, 23.

48. ferit carmina lyrâ, i. e. ferit (pulsat) lyram, quum canit. The lyre was struck with an instrument called the "plectrum:" but instead of saying "he strikes the lyre," the poet turns the phrase, "he strikes songs on the lyre." We should remember that lyrical poetry was set to music; and it would be worth while inquiring whether Horace was actually able to play upon a musical instrument, or whether his "lyre was merely a figure of speech. -49. Virgilium vidi tantum, "Virgil I saw, and that was all," i. e. there was no intercourse between us. Το translate "I saw only once," is straining the passage. When Virgil died, B.C. 19, Ovid was in his twenty-fourth year; but Virgil's latter days were spent in Naples. This passage may remind the English reader of the poet Pope, who, at the age of twelve years, was taken to Will's coffee-house to see Dryden.-nec amara, &c. Construe nec amara fata dedere Tibullo tempus am. meae.- Albius Tibullus, a distinguished elegiac poet: the date of his birth is not exactly ascertained, B.C. 59-54 he died young (amara fata), shortly after Virgil.-50. tempus am. meae, "time for my friendship," i. e. to become my friend.-51. hic and illi both refer to Tibullus, in successive relation when he is spoken of as flourishing, he is hic; when he has passed away, he becomes ille. The poet enumerates the cultivators of elegiac poetry: (1) Gallus, (2) Tibullus, (3) Propertius, (4) Ovidius. C. Cornelius Gallus was born at Forum Julii (Fréjus) in Gaul. He died B.C. 26, and as he was forty (others read forty-three) years old at the time of his death, he must have been born B.C. 66 or 69. He was employed as a general by Augustus, but falling into disgrace, and threatened with exile, he threw himself upon his own sword. His poetical works have perished. 54. Thalia, strictly, the Muse of Comedy: here for poetry, and so Thalia mea, "my muse."-55. populo, "to the public;" public recitation was the first step towards publishing in a written form, see v. 41, legit. -56. barba, &c. i. e. I was a mere

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youth.-57. The success which attended a poem of Ovid's upon a lady, whom he celebrated under the name of Corinna, excited him to new efforts.-60. emendaturis ignibus, "to the correcting flames."-61. His father made an early match for him, but the choice was unfortunate, and the poet procured a speedy divorce.-64. sustinuit, "had fortitude enough," róλunσev.-conjux esse, nom. with inf., referring to the subject nom. of the sentence.-66. altera lustra novem, "other nine lustres:" the lustrum was a period of five years 9 × 5=45; 45 x 2 = 90, so that Ovid's father died ninety years old.-67. fleturus fuit, "would have wept."-ademptum, "had I been taken away," but literally?-68. proxima justa tuli, "I performed the next funeral rites;" see Dict. justum, II. 2. The mother died soon after the father. 70. poenae meae, alluding to his banishment.-71. me quoque felicem, acc. of exclamation, sometimes called the interjectional acc. The attempt to explain this acc. by supplying any verb, is unsatisfactory; and to say that it is governed by an interjection understood, is no explanation at all, for the difficulty would only be thrown back a step further.-viventibus illis, "during their lifetime."-75. parentales

um

brae, vocative, separated by intervening words; so v. 79, studiosa.. pectora. -vos contigit, "has reached you.". 76. crimina nostra. The old books read carmina. If crimina be correct, the literal sense of "charges, accusations," seems the best, "charges against us (i. e. me)."-in Stygio foro, "in the infernal court."-77. causam, &c. "that error and not crime was the cause of the banishment decreed against me."-fas refers to divine law, as jus to human. The manes or souls of the dead were held in religious reverence.79. studiosa, sc. mei, "favourable to me, "attached to me."-82. antiquas comas, "aged locks."-83. Ovid Iwas banished A.D. 8, when he was in his 52nd year. He poetically calls it the tenth Olympiad after his birth:

construe victor equus, vinctus Pisaea oliva, decies abstulerat praemia.— oliva, the prize at the Olympic games was a garland cut from a sacred olive tree.-Pisaea. The town of Pisa was not far from the plain called Olympia, on which the games were held.-decies. The games recurred at the end of every fourth year, but the poet must have reckoned the Olympiads as periods of five years, 5 x 10 = 50. Strictly speaking, fifty years would comprise 12 or 13 Olympiads.-85. maris Euxini ad laeva, "on the left of the Euxine Sea," (i. e. looking north on the west).

- Tomitas, "the people of Tomis (otherwise called Tomi.)"-87. nimium quoque nota, "but too well known."-89. comitum nefas, "the villainy of my attendants," i. e. those who were sent in charge of him.famulos nocentes, "the annoying servants," who plundered him.-91. mens indignata est ("my mind disdained") succumbere malis. 94. temporis arma, weapons suitable to the time,"

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coast."-101. quod refers to carmine, v. 100. Construe quamvis nemo est, ad cujus aures id referatur, i. e. cui recitem carmina.-102. decipio, "I beguile."-104. sollicitae lucis, "of the careworn day.” — 106. medicina (sc. curae) venis.-108. Helicone, see v. 21.-10. ab exsequiis, i. e. after death.-112. maligna, "niggardly."113. praeponere, "to give the preference." 114. plurimus, adj. used poetically for adv.-115. The gen. veri depends on quid, "any truth."-116. non ero, terra, tuus, i. e. I shall be exalted to heaven, or, my fame will not be buried with my body: so Horace, Od. 3, 30, 6, non omnis moriar; multaque pars mei vitabit Libitinam.