207. traho, bring down, and so cause an eclipse; for it was popularly. believed that eclipses were caused by magic arts. - Temesaea, an epithet probably derived from Tamassus, in Cyprus, where were copper mines. On the occasion of an eclipse of the moon, they beat brazen vessels, in order to dispel the magic by the noise. — labores, eclipse.

209. avi, i.e. the Sun-god, father of Æetes.

210. vos refers to the objects addressed, vv. 192-196. 212. in se fera bella, fierce strife against each other.

213. rudem, unacquainted with, construed with somni. aurum, i.e. the golden fleece.

214. vindice, its guardian, the dragon.

frustra: the flashing of the stars signified the con

219. aderat, i.e. sent by her grandfather, the Sun.

222. Tempe, neuter plural, a beautiful valley in Thessaly.

223. Threces: under this name was comprised, in early times, Macedonia, lying north of Thessaly.

226. placitas, sc. herbas, those that she selects. The mountains and rivers here (224–230) mentioned are all in Thessaly.

231. Boebes: Boebe is in Thessaly, Anthedon in Boeotia; the latter lying on the Euripus, opposite Euboea.

233. vulgatum, made famous. — Glauci: Glaucus was a fisherman who, by tasting these herbs, was impelled to leap into the water, where he was changed into a sea-god. (See Book XIII. 917.)

237. posuere: the magic power of the herbs was such that their mere odor caused the serpents to slough their skins and become young.

239. tantum caelo tegitur, i.e. she remains under the open sky. 242. verbenis, sprigs of various plants, used in sacred rites.

243. scrobibus, sc. e; construe with egesta. In sacrificing to the deities of the nether world, it was customary to dig a ditch, into which the libation was poured, and the blood of the black animal sacrificed was allowed to flow.

244. velleris atri = a black-fleeced sheep.

246. bacchi, wine.

249. umbrarum regem, Pluto. — rapta conjuge, Proserpine. (See Book V. vv. 385-424.)

250. ne properent, i.e. before the completion of her magic rites.

251. precibusque et murmure: just as -que is sometimes repeated in poetry (partly, at least, for metrical reasons), so here it is added before et (thus making the last syllable of precibus long) without any independent meaning.

253. plenos, sound, (i.e. complete; cf "full gallop," "full stop,” etc.). 258. bacchantum in the rites of Bacchus (Dionysos), celebrated by women, the votaries unbound their hair, and were possessed for a time with a religious frenzy. (See Fig. 38.)

bird often mentioned in magic, but, says Pliny, quæ sit avium constare non arbitror. It is usually identified with the screech-owl.

271. ambigui lupi: the were-wolf, here described, was rather a man who could assume the form of a wolf, than a wolf who could turn into a The belief in such creatures was widespread among many peoples. - prosecta, the parts cut off for sacrifice.

man.

272. Cinyphii = Libyan.

273. vivacis, long-lived: the stag, as well as the crow, was believed to live to a great age.

274. passae, that had passed or lived.

276. remorari expresses the purpose of propositum, the gift (munus) intended to delay death (Tartara) (§ 273, d; G. 423, 2; H. 533, ii. 3).

277. jampridem qualifies arenti. — mitis, the quality of the fruit transferred to the tree.

290. situs, long tarrying in one place, and so the rust and dirt resulting from such tarrying; here, the decay of age.

293. hunc, sc. fuisse, of this aspect.

In the story of Jason, a national hero of Thessaly, and Medea, "the wise one," we have the simple creation of the Grecian mind complicated with the unholy magical rites of the East. This is a myth, therefore, which records not only the early converse with far Asia, but the far more important mental intercourse which helped burden the Greek theology with superstition and fanaticism.

XV. THE MURDER OF PELIAS.

VII. 294. tanti

monstri, i.e. the restoration of Æson's youth. 296. hoc munus, that his nurses be made young. - Colchide, i.e. Medea.

297. odium cum conjuge: odium is sometimes used with cum, also with in, adversus, and the genitive. - falsum, pretended.

298. Phasias, Medea, from the river Phasis, in Colchis. — Peliae: Pelias, half-brother of Jason's father son, had usurped the royal power, and had sent Jason in quest of the golden fleece, with the hope that he would never return.

303. situs (acc. pl.), the decay of old age. (See note on v. 290.) 304. virginibus, dative. Pelia, abl. of source.

306. sine fine, endless, infinite.

307. brevi spatio, abl. of time when, implying duration of time (§ 256, b; G. 393; H. 379, 1).

310. qui: the antecedent is dux gregis. — aevo, abl. of specification (§ 253; G. 397; H. 424).

314. Haemonio, Thessalian; Thessaly was notorious for its magicians and witches.

315. exiguo, because the ram was so old.

317. minuunt: the subject is suci validi.

320. nec mora, sc. est, without delay. - balatum, object of mirantibus. - mirantibus, dat. of reference (§ 235; G. 350, 1; H. 384, 4, N.3). (See Fig. 39.)

322. promissa, i.e. of Medea.

324. juga dempserat, had taken off the yokes, i.e. had unharnessed his horses for the night. Hibero flumine, the ocean, which washes the western side of the Spanish peninsula.

328. neci similis somnus, a death-like (i.e. very deep) slumber.— resoluto, relaxed.

331. jussae, as she had directed.

336. spes inanes, empty hopes, which you have not the energy to accomplish.

338. saniem, diseased blood; here, blood corrupted by age. — conjecto ferro, by a stroke of the sword.

339. his hortatibus, [moved] by these urgings.- pia: the superlative would naturally be used if there were a superlative of pius. She who is most filial is the first to be unfilial (by killing her father in the hope of making him young).

ra's

342. caeca, unseen [by themselves].

346. in fata, for the destruction.

347. illis, dat. of reference (§ 235, a; G. 350, 1; H. 384, 4, N.2). 349. abstulit, cut off.

350. quod nisi, but if . . . not.

352. Philyreïa tecta (in apposition with Pelion), the home of Philyson, the Centaur Chiron.

353. Cerambi: at the time of the flood, Cerambus fled to Mt. Othrys, and was there changed by the nymphs to a beetle.

XVI. THE MYRMIDONS.

...

VII. 614. tanto rerum, so great a storm of woes, referring to the pestilence. (See argument.)

616. sub amplexus isse, to have embraced. - Aeginae: Ægina was the daughter of the river-god Asopus. Eacus was the son of Ægina and Jupiter.

617. nostri: the genitive of the personal pronoun, where in prose the possessive pronoun would be used.

619. secundo thunder was a favorable sign when it came from the East.

621. pigneror omen, I regard the omen as a pledge.

622. rarissima, very unusual, i.e. of unusual beauty.

623. Dodonaeo: at Dodona, in Epirus, the seat of the oldest oracle of Zeus (Jupiter) was a sacred oak, the rustling of whose leaves foretold the future.

626. servantes, keeping, i.e. following without intermission.

629. sonum, object of dedit. — sine flamine: construe with motis. 637. visa est, appeared; videri is very frequently used in descriptions of dreams.

638. subjectis, lying under it.

639. crescere, videri and the following infinitives still depend upon visa est; infinitive because quod is equivalent to idque (§ 336, c; G. 635; H. 524, 1).

640. recto, erect.

642. ponere = deponere.

643. damno . . . visa, when I awake I curse my vision.

...

644. nihil: the long i is the original quantity of this final syllable; the word is compounded of ne and hilum, “not a shred."

646. has quoque somni, sc. esse.

647. Telamon, son of Æacus.

653. priscis cultoribus, ablative, depending upon vacuos.

654. Myrmidonas, Ant-men (μúpμn§). keep their origin in mind by their name.

nec

...

fraudo, i.e. I

656. laborum, quaesiti, genitive (§ 218, b; G. 375; H. 399, ii.). 657. reservet, subjunctive in a clause of characteristic (§ 320; G. 631, 1; H. 503, i.).