Et breve ver spatiis exegit quatuor annum. 120 125 130 135 followed no definite purpose in the matter, and just as little can definite rules be laid down with regard to the rhythmical relation of the preceding word. We find the Spondeus, Molossus, Dispondeus, Choriambus, and other feet, in the second-last place.118. Exegit, measured, portioned out. Compare the expressions 'pondus exigere,' 'exigere aliquid mensura.' 125. The Brazen Age is treated very briefly by Ovid; war commences, but is unaccompanied as yet by crime. The poet seems to have been here deserted by the sources from which he drew; and, being thus thrown more upon his own fancy, to have deferred the completion of his work to a more favourable opportunity; which, however, his unhappy fate never afforded him. The fact of this want of a final revision may serve also to account for the contradiction, that war is represented as commencing here, and likewise in the Iron Age, v. 141.-127. The Iron Age is the last of this series. Whether the poet considered himself as living in it, or looked upon the whole representation as belonging to the mythical world, is not distinctly stated; but the former seems very probable from the description, in which many traits of corruption coincide closely with those so often censured by the Roman satirists.-128. Venae pejoris. The comparison of the earth with the human body has been customary at all times. Thus, for example, we speak of veins of metal.-131. Amor habendi, Gr. πdeovežía.—134. Insultavere. Insultare is properly saltare in aliqua re, but usually with the collateral notion of contempt. Contemnere occurs in the same way: Nondum caeruleas pinus contemserat undas (Tibull. i. 3, 37). Carinae, by synecdoche for naves.-135. Ceu lumina solis et auras; that is, humum quae prius communis fuerat, sicut lumina solis et aurae communes sunt.-137. Alimenta debita, the means of sustenance Poscebatur humus; sed itum est in viscera terrae, Jamque nocens ferrum, ferroque nocentius aurum Lurida terribiles miscent aconita novercae ; Filius ante diem patrios inquirit in annos. 140 145 150 which men may reasonably require from the earth. Segetes-poscebatur humus. See Gram. § 259, 1. Thus we say, even in prose, interrogor sententiam.-138. Sed itum est. The simple sed after non tantum is stronger than sed etiam, as in Greek á after ov póvov. 143. Concutit arma. It was customary in rude times to strike the spear against the shield to excite terror. - 145. Gratia, amor mutuus, concordia.-146. Vir, conjux, maritus.-147. Lurida aconita, a poisonous plant, found in Pontus, seldom in Italy; according to Metam. vii. 415, it sprung from the foam of Cerberus dragged to the upper world. The plural has here no especial force. Lurida, from its effect on the colour of those poisoned by it.—148. Inquirit in annos, that he may be able to form a conjecture as to the time of his father's death, when he will be delivered from his troublesome superintendence, and put in possession of his property. -150. Astrea, the Aikn of the Greeks. Compare Fast. i. 249: Nondum Justitiam facinus mortale fugarat, Ultima de superis illa reliquit humum. She was placed among the stars. Coelestum, a rare form for coelestium, here used by Ovid for the sake of the verse. GIGANTES. THE story of a new creation of men resulting from the storming of heaven by the giants, and the following one of Deucalion and Pyrrha, though evidently unconnected with the fable of the four Ages, are here added by Ovid on account of the similarity of their character. The storming of heaven by the giants is not mentioned by Homer or Hesiod, and was therefore probably invented by later poets: Ovid here alludes to it very briefly. The formation of a new race of men from the blood of the giants seems to have been taken from one of the Gigantomachiae, of which the Greeks had several, but is only known to us from this passage. The fable is here quite loosely appended. NEVE foret terris securior arduus aether: 155 160 151. Securior, here equivalent to tutior. This use of the word began in the time of Augustus, and was not prevalent till a later period.-152. Gigantas, Gr. accusative for Gigantes. The giants were the sons of Tartarus, according to others of Uranus and Gaea (Terra): at the instigation of their mother, they attacked the gods in their own abode, to avenge the overthrow of the Titans.154. Perfregit, clove in twain. The old geographers supposed that Ossa was separated from Olympus by an earthquake, and that then the channel of the Penëus was formed between them.-155. Subjecto Pelion Ossae. The poet here departs from the usual tradition, according to which the war of the giants had its seat in Pallene (Phlegra), therefore in Macedonia; while the Aloides, Otus, and Ephialtes, stormed heaven in Thessaly. -162. Natos. Scires eos natos esse e sanguine: the plural referring to the collective propago. LYCAON. THE Fable of the Transformation of Lycaon is here introduced in illustration of what has just been said of the bloodthirsty character of the race which sprung from the blood of the giants. QUAE pater ut summa vidit Saturnius arce, 165 163. Quae, referring to the conclusion of the last fable -contemptrix superum, &c. Summa arce, åкpoτáтη kopvp, from the highest summit of Olympus.-164. Facto recenti, owing to the recency of the deed. Join these words to nondum vulgata. -165. Referens, sc. mente, calling to mind. Amor, ii. 8, 17, Si forte refers. Lycaoniae mensae; see below, v. 226. 167. Conciliumque vocat. The distinction between concilium and consilium cannot be settled with certainty, owing to the variation of the manuscripts. Concilium is Est via sublimis, coelo manifesta sereno; 170 175 180 derived from the old verb calare, to call; and means, therefore, any summoned assembly. -169. Lactea nomen habet. With regard to the nominative lactea, compare Metam. vi. 400, Marsque nomen habet; xv. 740, insula nomen habet. Still more striking is xv. 96, cui fecimus aurea nomen.— -170. The Milky Way leads to the palace of the Thunderer, Jupiter, &ßpeuέrns. The poet compares it to the via sacra at Rome, which conducted to the palace of Augustus.171. Dextra laevaque, sc. of the Milky Way; that is, on both sides of it. Deorum nobilium. The Dii Majorum Gentium. -172. Celebrantur, are thronged. Atria. After the model of the Roman houses, in which wide vestibules received the crowds of clients. Hence valvis apertis.—173. Plebs, the Dii Minorum Gentium. Diversa locis, separate in place; for the prose diversis locis. So i. 40, diversa locis; i. 178, celsior ipse loco; ii. 31, loco medius. The abode of the inferior gods is only described as elsewhere, not in the same place; the potentes, on the other hand, dwell a fronte, before the face of Jupiter, so that he can see them from his palace, and has them always in full view. -174. Suos posuere penates, have set up their household gods. So much had this expression lost its original meaning, that it is here applied even to the gods.175. Si verbis audacia detur. If I may venture to compare divine things with human. 176. Palatia, the dwelling of Augustus on the Palatine hill. Dixisse, aorist for dicere. 177. Recessus, the interior of the house, opposed to the atrium. - 179. Terrificam capitis concussit Caesariem, with obvious allusion to Homer, i. 528. In our passage, however, Jupiter shakes not only Olympus, but together with (cum) his hair, earth, sea, and stars. 181. Ora solvit, opened his mouth, began to speak.-182. Pro mundi regno, sc. servando, a somewhat singular use of pro.· ·183. Quisque anguipedum, of the giants. Fast. v. 35: Mille manus illis dedit et pro cruribus angues. Trist. iv. 17: Serpentipedesque Gigantes.-184. Captivo coelo, by anticipation; coelo quod captivum reddere studebant. So Metam. ix. 103: (Nessus) dat munus raptae (Deianirae), not the ra Nam, quanquam ferus hostis erat, tamen illud ab uno Cuncta prius tentata: sed immedicabile vulnus Contremuere omnes, studiisque ardentibus ausum 185 190 195 200 vished but whom he had wished to ravish.—186. Corpore, with collective meaning; as we say, a body of men. The word occurs in this sense in prose also. 187. Nereus, a sea-god, here put generally for the sea, Oceanus. 188. Flumina-infera, flumen inferum, Stygem.-189. Stygio luco, the grove of Proserpina. Homer, Odyss. x. 509.-190. Vulnus, the wound for the injured limb. - 191. Trahatur, sc. in eandem perniciem, should be corrupted. Epist. ex Ponto, ii. 3, 21: Quo magis admiror, non- - Communis vitii te quoque labe trahi. Trist. v. 13, 3: Aeger enim traxi contagia corpore mentis. 192. Semidei, huilεot. A mythological conception which does not admit of precise definition; heroes, the offspring of the union of gods and men. Nymphae, also a more or less indefinite conception, generally used collectively; seldom applied to individuals or separately-named divinities. They represent the different powers and operations of nature.-193. Fauni, Italian woodgods, therefore almost identical with Silvani, as it stands here instead of the usual singular form Silvanus, Satyri, Greek divinities in the train of Bacchus; here, as frequently, joined to the Fauni, on account of their sportive nature. Faunique. Que is here lengthened by the arsis. So Metam. iii. 530: Vulgusque proceresque; iv. 10: Telasque calathosque; vii. 225: Othrysque Pindusque; vii. 265: Seminaque floresque. So also not unfrequently in other poets. It is to be observed that the lengthening of the que occurs especially in the arsis of the second foot.- -200. Deposcunt, sc. ad supplicium. Sic cum manus impia saevit. Most commentators believe that this passage alludes to the murder of Julius Caesar, which took place before the birth of Ovid, and therefore more than fifty years before the appearance of the Metamorphoses. The address to Augustus (a title which Octavianus did not receive till the year 27 B.C.) points to a later period, the later the more appropriate; for the tone of this episode seems to intimate that the event alluded to was of quite recent occurrence. We refer the passage, therefore, to the conspiracy of Cn. Cornelius Cinna, A. D. 4. Dion Cass. Iv. 14-22. Saevit is here the perfect instead of saevivit. Gram. |