54. Populare, see VIII. 3. 58. Tandem, as if he ought to have succoured his son earlier. 65. There is no lex now that he must go first and not look behind. 68. Sacrorum vate. Orpheus had introduced the Bacchic rites into Thrace. 71. In quantum, &c., as far as they had severally followed Orpheus. Beats its wings, and by all its struggling only tightens the cord. So. Succedere, to take the place of. The change begins with the 75. roots. XV. MIDAS. I. 2. 3. 9. Hoc, see XIV. This punishment of the Thracians. Quamvis is used with the indicative by the poets. Cp. XIV. 68 and note. Eumolpus, the founder of the family of the Eumolpidae, was a Thracian minstrel, who settled in Attica (Cecropio) and established the Eleusinian mysteries. Note the hiatus together with a spondee in the fifth place. 13. So in another place: Diffugiunt stellae, quarum agmina cogit The stars are like an army, marching off the field: Lucifer brings 19. Ut, which is seldom inserted after fac, faxo, is rarely omitted after 20. 22. Berecyntius, Midas was the son of Gordius, and of the goddess Malo, in what was really his bane. 28. Massa, a lump of metal, a nugget. 30. Cp. XII. 86. 33. Danaen, whom Jupiter deceived in a shower of gold. 39. He thought to get out of the difficulty by not using his hands, but the victuals hardened in his mouth as soon as his teeth touched them. Premebat, covered. 41. Auctorem muneris, Bacchus, i.e. wine. Fusile, molten. 47. Splendida, his very arms do not escape the curse. 51. Fidem, accus. in apposition with the sentence. 60. Veteris, &c., from its having caught the seed of the old vein. 61. Join auro madidis, soaked with gold. 66. Nam gives the reasons for saying Pingue sed ingenium mansit. Arduus, &c., i.e., it is very steep and precipitous on one side, but on the other slopes away in two directions towards Sardis and Hypaepa. 69. Pan. The story is generally told of the Satyr Marsyas. It is beautifully modernized in the Epic of Hades, by a 'New Writer.' 70. 74. 76. 81. 82. Cerata, waxed to make them air-tight. Arboribus. The trees that crown the mountain's brow (sua silva, 80) are transferred by a sort of confusion to the brow of the god of the mountain. Coma caerula, this feature is taken from the blue haze that seems to cover the distant hills. ie., if you are ready, begin. The figure corresponding to this description is preserved to us in Order: palla saturata (soaked in, fully dyed) Tyrio murice. 83. Indis, i.e., of ivory. 85. Artificis, the very way in which he stood showed the genuine 86. artist. Sollicitat, plies. 87. Cannas, of which Pan's pipe was made. 93. The power of moving the ear does not, as a rule, belong to man. Imas, their base. 94. In, in respect of. 97. Tiaris, the modern turban. 108. The servant who had dug up the soil and sown this secret is called its husbandman. I. XVI. THE GOLDEN FLEECE. Pagasaea. The ship Argo was built in the port of Pagasae, near Iolcos. Cp. XX. 61, Pagasaeus Iason. 2-4. The Argonauts stopped on their way at Salmydessus, a town in Thrace, to consult Phineus, a blind seer, as to how they should get through the Symplegades, two rocks at the mouth of the Euxine, which closed on and crushed all that tried to pass between. Phineus was plagued by the Harpies, who, whenever he sat down to meat, snatched the victuals from his mouth. Calais and Zethus, sons of Boreas, destroyed these 2. monsters. Perpetua sub nocte. Blind_Thamyris and blind Maeonides, 6. Phasidos, a river in Colchis. MILTON, Paradise Lost, III. 35. 7. Phrixea. Phrixus and Helle, the children of Athamas, escaping from the cruelty of their stepmother, Ino, were carried through the air on the back of a ram with a golden fleece. Helle dropped off into the sea, which afterwards bore her name, but Phrixus escaped to the court of Aeëtes. He sacrificed the ram to Jupiter, and gave the fleece to his host. It was in quest of this that Jason went. 8. Lex. Jason was to tame to the yoke two bulls that breathed fire, to sow a field with serpent's teeth, and to elude the dragon which guarded the fleece. II. 18. 21. 23. 30. The whole of this soliloquy is very telling. Medea recognizes in her mingled feelings the power of love (13-17); she blames herself for caring for a stranger (21), and then tries to cheat herself by the thought that to wish to save him is not love, but simple humanity (25); he cannot escape without her help, and to refuse her help would be to show herself brutal in her cruelty (29, following); yet why should she imperil herself that Jason may live and wed another? (33—41) but no! his very looks proclaim him too noble for such ingratitude (43-50); should she then be untrue to her country and kindred? (51, 52) but she will gain a nobler country, nobler kindred, and with Jason she would have no fear (53--68); at last she rouses herself to shake off the temptation, how futilely is soon seen. Si possem: yes, but I cannot; if I could, &c. I, a princess, in love with a stranger. Cp. XI. 19. So alieni orbis, of a strange world. Vivat, deliberative as well as oblique: whether he is to live. Suae segetis hostibus, enemies of his own sowing. Note how she says adflabitur, concurret; the meeting such dangers necessarily implies the not overcoming them, unless she helps. 34. If I am cruel enough to refuse my help, why should I not also, &c. I am hardhearted enough for it. 36. Terrigenas, those who should spring from the dragon's teeth. Ista; sc. meliora. 37. 38. Aeëtes had been told by prophecy that he should reign as long as he kept the golden fleece. 40. 4I. Per me sospes, while he owes his safety to me, he should set sail without me. See XI. 32. 46. In foedera, cogo seems to be used in a double sense. I will make them parties to the contract. 47. Quin qui non? How is it that you do not fear what is quite safe? i.e., do not fear, when all is safe. 51. I shall be called servatrix, it is true, but it will be by deserting my home. Germanam, Chalciope, married to Phrixus; fratrem, Absyrtus; patrem, Aeëtes. 53. Nempe, true! of course! half ironical. Stant mecum, are on my side, possibly because she is wedded to a Greek. 54. 55. Deus. I leave my di patrii, it is true, but I the god of love, in my own bosom. 56. Titulum, honour, reputation, a thing to be inscribed on one's statue. Servatae is predicative. 62. The Symplegades, which, however, after the passage of the Argonauts stood still: Medea does not know of this. 63. Scylla and Charybdis are mentioned as well-known terrors of the sea. If the Argonauts passed by the Symplegades they would not encounter these. They were cut off, however, from the straits, and having made their way overland returned by the west coast of Italy. 74. Charybdis is described in Homer as swallowing down the waters of the sea thrice in the day, and again vomiting them forth, while Scylla is described as a fearful monster, barking like a dog. The narrowness of the Straits of Messina causes the current to change with the tide. The current from the south is the stronger as the tide rises, while that from the north prevails during the ebb. Naturally the two currents thus struggling for the mastery cause some commotion in the sea's surface, sometimes on one side of the strait, sometimes on the other, and form a kind of bore, as it is called in tidal rivers. There is, however, no danger for fair-sized boats, unless there is a strong wind blowing against the current. Still vessels generally avoid the tossing that this would cause. (RECLUS., La Terre, vol. II. p. 153). Perseïdos, daughter of Perses and Asteria. 76. Fortis, resolute; pulsusque, &c., and her passion had been beaten back. 77. Revixit, the perfect marks the suddenness-was all alive again. 78. Recanduit, was in a glow: candeo, candesco are especially used of metal at a white heat, hence the active form in accendo, incendo. 82. Join amor, iam lentus, iam (is) quem languere putares. 84. Join solito formosior, more handsome than his wont. 86. Tum denique, then for the first time. 92. Veri, of what is right. I do it with my eyes open. 94. Triformis deae, i.e., Hecates. 96. Aeëtes was the son of Sol. 97. Tanta pericula, the greatness of his perils. 98. 102. 104. Creditus, a very uncommon poetic usage for postquam illi creditum est: canto is used of magic charms. Jugis, the rising ground. Adamanteis, and so invulnerable. 105. Vaporibus, their hot breath. 107. Silices, here limestone. The chalk and the flints in the chalk seem confused. Terrena, the kilns were made of brick. 114. Spondaic line. 115. Minyae. The name given to the crew of the Argo. It was the name of an ancient race that lived round Iolcos in Thessaly. 117. Palearia, dewlaps. 122. Vipereos dentes, some of the teeth of the dragon that Cadmus slew. Pallas had given them to Aeëtes. Cf. No. V. 126. Cp. Psalm CXXXIX. 15 (Prayer Book version): 'In Thy book all my members were written, which day by day were fashioned.' 132. Haemonii, from Thessaly, i.e., Jason. 137. 142. 144. 145. 148. 151. 155. Carmen, a magical formula, not necessarily metrical: our 'charm.' Civili, cf. V. 104. Barbara, Medea, opp. to Greek. See XIV. 15, and note. Horum, sc. carminum. Arietis is a trisyllable (arjetis), aurei a dissyllable. To what does sibi belong? XVII. CEPHALUS AND PROCRIS. THIS story is part of a fuller legend discussed by Mr. MAX MÜLLER (Chips from a German Workshop, II. 85). He traces in it a poetical version of the dew of morning dried up, or killed, by the hot mid-day sun. As this is the only part of his comment that concerns the present extract, it is sufficient to refer the reader to the comment itself. Cecropidas, the Athenians. 2. 3. 5. 7. 12. 14. 16. 18. 19. 22. 25. 26. 28. 37. Aeoliden. Cephalus was grandson of Aeolus. Mediis sermonibus, in the general conversation. Actaeis Atticis. The old name of Attica was kтh, the coast-land. Usum, a serviceableness greater than its outward look. Missum, when once it has left the hand. Nereius. Phocus, whose mother Psamathe was a Nereid. Mercede, abl. of price. Flere facit, in prose facit ut fleam. Procris and Orithyia were daughters of Erechtheus, king of Si forte. It was more likely that the story of Orithyia might Spondaic ending. The more ordinary construction is dignior ipsa quae raperetur. Laiades, Edipus, son of Laius, king of Thebes, solved the riddle of the Sphinx (What is that which goes first with four feet, then with two, and last with three?) The Sphinx in a rage threw herself from a rock and was killed. |