Sit licet hoc ingens, quicquid speravit Ulixes. An, quod in arma prior nulloque sub indice veni, Militiam ficto, donec sollertior isto, Sed sibi inutilior, timidi commenta retexit -20. Quo cum victus erit, the reason of the preceding, nam cum eo victus erit.-23. Moenia-cepit. Hercules had delivered Hesione, the daughter of Laomedon, from a sea-monster; when Laomedon thereupon refused him the promised reward, he besieged and conquered Troy.-24. Pagasaea, from Pagasae, a port in Thessaly, where Argo, the ship of the Argonauts, was built. Litora Colcha, portum Colchicum. So Metam. vi. 445: veloque et remige portus Cecropios intrat Piraeaque litora tangit.-25. Silentibus, poetic expression for the dead. Above, v. 356: Rex silentum.-26. Ubi Aeoliden-urget. According to the less usual account, Sisyphus was condemned to carry a heavy stone. Prop. ii. 16, 30: Tumque ego Sisyphio saxa labore geram.-29. Series, descent, genealogy.-31. Frater, strictly cousin, for Telamon and Peleus were brothers. Hence v. 41: donis patruelibus orbi. Sanguine cretus Sisyphio. According to a later fable, Ulysses was the son of Sisyphus and Anticlea, before the marriage of the latter to Laertes. Sisyphus was the representative of ingenuity and cunning in an earlier generation, as Ulysses in a later, and the fable probably arose from the desire to bring the two into connection.-34. Nulloque sub indice, under the influence of no informer, referring to Palamedes. See v. 39. Sub is used in this sense in the poetry of the Augustan age, and in the later prose.-36. Ultima, sc. arma. The epithet is transferred from the person to the object, as v. 42: prima pericula. Furore ficto. Ulysses had pretended to be mad, that he might be allowed to remain at home with Penelope.-38. Sibi inutilior, to his own greater hurt, for inutilis Naupliades animi vitataque traxit ad arma? Ille tamen vivit, quia non comitavit Ulixen. 40 45 50 55 is often put for perniciosus.-39. Naupliades. Palamedes, the son of Nauplius, king of Euboea. When Ulysses, pretending madness, yoked an ox and a horse to the plough, and sowed salt, Palamedes placed Telemachus in the way; and as Ulysses turned aside the plough, not to injure his child, the cheat was detected, and he was compelled to go to Troy.-44. Phrygias, Trojanas.-45. Poeantia proles. Philoctetes, son of Poeas. He had received the poisoned arrows of Hercules, without which the oracle had declared that Troy could not be conquered. On the way, however, he was bitten by a snake, and, by the advice of Ulysses, left behind on the island of Lemnos.-49. Si di sunt, as truly as there are gods. The conjunction si is commonly employed in oaths. So above, i. 377: si precibus-numina justis Victa remollescunt.-50. Juratus. See Gram. § 152, at the end. Eadem nobis, eadem in arma in quae nos juravimus. Gram. § 267, note 4.-53. Velaturque— avibus. The poets who have treated this subject, to convey a vivid impression of the helplessness of Philoctetes, represent him as clothed with the feathers of the birds which he had killed.-55. Comitavit, the active form, as above, viii. 693: comitate.-57. Sine crimine, without the reproach of a crime. Ulysses, to revenge himself on Palamedes, forged a letter from Priam to Palamedes, in which mention was made of gold bestowed upon the latter in consequence of his agreement to betray the Greek army. At the same time he caused an amount of gold to be buried in the tent of his victim; and in the course of the investigation which followed, this was found, and Palamedes put to death.58. Male convicti, convicted to his hurt. So above, ii. 148, of Phaethon : Dum male optatos nondum premis inscius axes; xi. 136, of Midas: Prodere rem Danaam finxit, fictumque probavit 60 65 70 15 75 Servavique animam-minimum est hic laudis-inertem. Si perstas certare, locum redeamus in illum : Redde hostem vulnusque tuum solitumque timorem, 80 Neve male optato maneas circumlitus auro.-63. Eloquio, eloquentia. Fidum, amicum.-64. Desertum Nestora. When the Greeks fled in alarm at the lightning of Jupiter, Nestor, whose horse had been wounded by Paris, seeing Hector coming against him, called to Ulysses for assistance. Ulysses, however, paid no attention to him, and he was rescued by Diomedes.-67. Mihi fingi, a me fingi.-68. Tydides, Diomedes, the son of Tydeus.-69. Corripuit, upbraided, as Metam. iii. 564: Hunc cetera turba suorum Corripiunt dictis.-70. Mortalia, res mortalium.-71. En introduces something new: now, another time, he requires help. Ulysses was wounded by the Trojans, and cut off from his friends. He called for help, and was rescued by Ajax and Menelaus. -72. Legem sibi dixerat ipse, conditionem qua tractandus esset ipse in Nestoris exemplo praescripserat.-73. Conclamat socios, a rare construction, socios clamando convocat. Conclamare generally stands absolute, as an intransitive verb. Trementem-pallentem-trepidantem-jacentem. Words accumulated to strengthen the reproach of cowardice.-79. Post clypeumque late. Here also the most odious expression: hide yourself behind the shield.-82. Deos in proelia ducit. In Homer, Apollo goes before him concealed in a cloud, and spreads terror among the Greeks.-83. Ulixe, ancient form of the vocative, after the Greek. K Sed fortes etiam: tantum trahit ille timoris. Quam mihi, major honos, conjunctaque gloria nostra est, Conferat his Ithacus Rhesum imbellemque Dolona Quo tamen haec Ithaco, qui clam, qui semper inermis 85 90 95 100 86. Ingenti pondere, ingenti saxo. Resupinum, ita ut resupinus jaceret.— 87. Poscentem, provocantem ad certamen singulare.-88. Sortemque meam vovistis. According to the proposal of Nestor, lots were cast among nine of the bravest of the Greeks, who offered themselves to fight in single combat with Hector. In Homer, the Greeks pray to the gods that the lot may fall upon Ajax, or Diomedes, or Agamemnon.-91. Jovemque, and the assistance of Jupiter, who took part for a time with the Trojans, out of regard for Achilles.-92. Facundus, with scorn, who can only speak, not fight.-94. Pro navibus, sc. servatis.-98. Rhesum. Rhesus was a king of Thrace who hastened to the assistance of the Trojans, but was murdered in his sleep by Diomedes and Ulysses, who entered the Trojan camp by night as spies. Imbellemque Dolona. Dolon, a Trojan sent by Hector to reconnoître the Greek camp, was taken prisoner on his way by Ulysses and Diomedes, and sought to save his life by intreaties and promises (hence imbellis), but was slain by Diomedes.-99. Priamidenque Helenum. Helenus, the son of Priam, a soothsayer, was taken prisoner by Ulysses, and compelled to make a revelation as to the fate of Troy; he declared that it could not be taken without Philoctetes. Pallade, Palladio. The Palladium was a wooden image of Pallas, supposed to have fallen from heaven, and preserved with particular care, because it was believed that the nation in whose possession it was, was sure to conquer. Diomedes and Ulysses stole into Troy, and carried it away to the Greek camp. Rapta cum Pallade, simply equivalent to: et captam Palladem.-102. In illis, inter illa. Illorum would be more usual. 103. Quo, cui bono, to what end. Inermis, not exactly unarmed, but without making use of his arms.— Rem gerit, et furtis incautum decipit hostem? 105 110 115 120 125 130 104. Furtis, dolis, insidiis.-106. Manifestabit, a late word, perhaps coined by Ovid.-107. Dulichius, from the island Dulichion, which lies near Ithaca, and, according to some accounts, formed part of the kingdom of Ulysses.-108. Nec non. Nec belongs to potest; hence equivalent to: et hasta non potest non onerosa esse.-109. Pelias, from Mount Pelion, from which the spear of Achilles was cut.-110. Vasti caelatus imagine mundi. According to the description of the shield in Homer, heaven, earth, and sea were represented upon it in raised work. 114. Cur spolieris erit, sc. causa, which, however, in such cases is regularly omitted.-116. Trahenti, since you must drag after you.124. Murmur, fremitus, not signs of approbation, but the restlessness of a large assembly after listening to a speech of some length.-128. Pelasgi. Used by the Roman poets, without distinction of meaning, for Graeci. 129. Tanti certaminis, of the object of such a contest. Heres is only correct when Achilles is considered as dead; on the other hand, when he is here supposed for the moment to be alive, we must substitute a general word: compos, particeps.-130. Potere |