I. 11-64.

1. The Creation and the Flood.

189

34. principio, in the beginning, qualifying glomeravit.

35. speciem. in—in speciem. — orbis, see note to v. 6. 36. rapidis, not merely swift, but (with active force) dragging the waters, which swell under them.

39. obliquis, sloping; declivia, down-flowing (clivus).

40. ipsā, sc. terrā (v. 37). The ab shows that the Earth is here represented as a living agent (§ 56, 4; G. 403).

42. aquæ, construed with campo, expanse (the sea). — ripis, litora: notice the contrast, one word meaning banks, the other shores.

45. ut, as. dextrā, sinistrā, right and left in reference to the celestial equator. The division into five zones was first made by Eudoxus, a pupil of Aristotle.

46. quinta est, there is a fifth (in the middle).

47. onus inclusum, i. e. the earth.

-

numero, sc. zonarum.

48. premuntur, lie below. This word often loses its passive force, and means merely to lie, with the idea of lowness added. tellure, on earth (loc. abl.).

50. totidem, sc. zonas.—locavit: the subject is cura dei, 52. his, i. e. the terrestrial zones. quanto, etc. is as much heavier than flame as water is lighter than earth (§ 54, 6, e; G. 400).

54. illic, here, in this. ―nebulas, vapors; nubes, clouds. 55. motura, destined to excite.

56. cum... ventos, winds which cause cold along with lightnings. The ancients thought that lightning was caused by the

friction of wind upon the clouds (see Book XV. 70).

57. his, i. e. the winds. — passim, at random (an adverbial form from pando, spread). —fabricator, framer.

quoque, these

too, as well as the elements, were set each in his place.

58. vix obsistitur illis scarce can they be withstood (impersonal, § 51, 2, ƒ; G. 208). — nunc, as it is when they are separated, giving the reason of separating them by implying the consequence of their being together.

59. cum... regant, while they direct each his own blast (subj. of characteristic). — tractu, region.

60. quin, following vix obsistitur, from rending, lit, so but that, &c.

61. Nabatæa regna, in Arabia Petræa.

63. juga, mountain ranges. Notice how Ovid varies the description in the four cases.

64. Scythiam: this term was applied to the vast steppes of

Independent Tartary and south-eastern Russia. It was therefore north-east rather than north. — septemtrionem, a compound (also used in the plural), separated by tmesis by the enclitic -que. The meaning of the word is the “seven ox-team," i. e. the constellation of the Bear (north).

66. madescit, is moistened.

68. nec quicquam habentem, and having nought. — terrenæ fæcis, dregs of earth.-liquidum, having no consistency. æthera, identical with the element of fire.

70. quæ, the antecedent is sidera.

-

pressa, hidden.

72. neu (neve), and lest, the regular connective with ne.

§ 58, 10, h; G. 519, R.

74. cesserunt, fell to the lot of.

75. agitabilis, beaten with the wing (compare v. 16), poetical for yielding.

76. animal, a being. — mentis, following capacius (§ 50, 3, 6a ; G. 374).

77. deerat, two syllables. — quod posset, which might : clause of purpose, § 64; G. 544.

79. origo, source.

80. sive, sive, i. e. whether it was an act of creation or a manufacture from materials already endowed with life.

82. quam, which (i.e. earth). — satus Iapeto (§ 54, 2, a; G. 395), son of Iapetus, Prometheus.

83. in effigiem, etc.: compare "Let us make man in our image,” Genesis, i. 26. - moderantum qui moderantur, which would be

used in prose.

=

84. cum, while, whereas (§ 62, 2, e; G. 587, R).

85. sublime, erect.

88. modo quæ, which but now.

89. aurea: compare the description of the Golden Age in Virgil, Ecl. iv. — vindice nullo (abl. abs.), when there was no avenger [of guilt], i. e. by no constraint.

91. fixa ære, posted up in brass, like the tablets of the Roman law. - pœna metusque fear of punishment.

94. cæsa, agreeing with pinus; suis with montibus: the pine felled on its native hills, and wrought into ships.

95. norant (§ 30, 6, a), knew, lit. had learned (§ 58, 5, R; G. 227, R2).

98. directi, flexi, both agreeing with æris (gen. of material, § 50, 1, e; G. 367, R). The tuba was a long straight brazen horn ; the cornu was curved.

I. 66-135.

1. The Creation and the Flood.

191

100. securæ, free from care. very common one in Latin.

Notice the interlocked order, a

IOI. immunis tellus, the earth unburdened. Strictly, without any duties to perform, not called on by man for tribute.

103. nullo cogente with no compulsion, qualifying creatis. 104. legebant, [men] gathered (§ 49, 2, b; G. 199, R3).

105. mora, blackberries.

106. Jovis arbore, the oak, sacred to Jupiter.

108. mulcebant, fanned, caressed.

109. mox, soon (after flowering).—tellūs: a feminine ending, see § 11, iv. 2, N.—fruges, grain, not fruit in the modern sense. 110. nec renovatus = needing no renewal.—cānebat, whitened. 112. mella: i. e. in the Golden Age honey dropped spontaneously from the leaves; while that gathered by bees is spurious

and inferior.

113. postquam . . . misso, when, after Saturn was banished, &c. (the relative clause ends with erat). Saturnus was an old Italian god of the crops (satus, sero), but was identified by the later Romans with the Greek Kronos, father of Zeus, who was dethroned and sent to Tartarus by his son.

114. sub Jove: the reign of stern law, under Jupiter, follows that of peace and innocence. subiit: contrary to rule, the last i is long, which seems to be a relic of an earlier usage (see § 83, 5; cf. Æn. viii. 362, x. 67).

116. contraxit, shortened (compare v. 7): the changing seasons are the first sign of nature's loss.

117. inæquales, changeable; or, perhaps, injurious from the sickly autumn heats.

118. exegit, led forth.

122. cortice, improperly used for liber, the fibrous inner bark. 123. semina cerealia, seeds of grain.

126. ingeniis, in temper.

128. venæ ... ævum, upon an age of worse vein or (quality).

131. amor habendi, the guilty love of gain.

132. vela, etc., notice that foreign commerce, now regarded

as the

source of civilization, was anciently held in disesteem by the poets. 133. diu steterant, see v. 94.

134. ignotis hitherto unknown. — insultavere: the meaning They danced upon the waves, and with contempt of the

is double.

danger.

135. communem humum, the soil, before common like sunlight and air.

(free to all),

136. limite: the limes was the boundary-path described by the agrimensor in laying out the public lands.

137. segetes poscebatur humus =

the earth (§ 52, 2, c, R; G. 333, R2).

crops were demanded of

138. itum est =men penetrated (§ 39, c; G. 199, R').

139. recondiderat, she [the earth] had hidden. admoverat, had brought near to. — Stygiis umbris (dat.), the shades of Styx : the realms of the dead, conceived to be under the earth.

141. ferrum, aurum: these were a part of the opes.

142. prodit, stalks, as a monster springing from the bowels of the earth. utroque, with both (abl. of instrument): gold, as well as iron, is one of the "sinews of war."

144. hospes (for the quantity, see § 78, 2, h, E), friend. There is here indicated a peculiar relation between persons of different countries who were bound to furnish hospitality to each other.

146. imminet, broods over. —conjugis, mariti, both limiting exitio.

147. novercæ, step-mothers. The evil practice of divorce among the Romans, and the domestic misery that came from it, made this name a proverb of cruelty.— lurida, dark. The association of poison with dark mixtures is old and general. Blue and poison are associated in Sanskrit and Greek. aconita, the plural

on account of repeated cases.

148. inquirit, questions (of fortune-tellers; he is impatient for his inheritance).

149. virgo Astræa, the maid Astræa, goddess of justice ; madentes terras, the earth reeking.

153. struxisse montes, piled the mountains.

154. misso fulmine, hurling the thunderbolt.

156. corpora, i. e. of the giants.

157. natorum, her sons.

160. illa, i. e. as well as men.

162. scires, you might have known (§ 60, 2, a; G. 252. For tense see § 59, 3, c; G. 599, R').

163. quæ, see § 48, 4; G. 612, R'.

164. facto recenti (abl. abs.), since the deed was recent.

vulgata (belonging to convivia), made known.

165. Lycaonia, of Lycaon, see v. 210 and the following. referens, revolving.

166. dignas, deserved.

167. concilium, sc. deorum.

I. 136-190.] 1. The Creation and the Flood.

193

169. Lactea, nominative in form, as being the simple name, a mere word, in no grammatical relation. This word, however, is in apposition with nomen.

170. hac, hereby (§ 55, 4; G. 387).-superis (dat.), for the gods.

172. celebrantur, are thronged. The figure is taken from the custom of Roman nobles, whose halls (atria) were visited every morning by the throng of their clients and dependants. dextra, of the street, with houses on both sides.

i. e.

173. plebs, i. e. the lower gods (Di minorum gentium); potentes cælicolæ, heavenly potentates; the twelve great gods of Olympus (Di majorum gentium). Notice that the whole is modelled on the Roman polity. - - diversa, i. e. only the great

live here. a fronte, in front, as one goes up the street. 174. penates

=

households.

176. Palatia: this word had not yet acquired its modern meaning of palace, but meant the dwelling of Augustus, on the Palatine hill. Augustus is thus, by a daring flattery (audacia), compared with the king of gods.- dixisse, the perfect does not differ from the present in sense. It seems to be an imitation, common in the poets, of the Greek aorist.

177. recessu, an interior apartment, for "secret session."

178. ipse, by a common usage the king or chief, as in ipse dixit. 181. ora... solvit, opened his angry lips.

182. illa tempestate, at that crisis.

184. inicere, the proper spelling of injicere. The compounds of jacio, which change a into i, lose the j before the i.—anguipedum, limiting quisque. The Giants were represented with bodies terminating in serpents: they are here confounded with the "hundred-handed" (centum brachia) Cottus, Briareus, and Gyas who were brothers of the Titans, but aided Jupiter against the rebellious deities (see Iliad, i. 399–406). — cælo, dative following inicere: to cast their hundred hands upon the captive sky.

185. ab uno corpore, from a single class (of divinities), contrasted with the present rebellion of the whole human race.

187. quã, wherever. — Nereus, an ancient sea divinity, especially associated with the calm depths: here put for the sea.

189. Stygio luco (loc. abl.), in the grove of Styx (" Gloom "), the river which bounds the entrance to the world below. The oath by the Styx was the most awful and binding that could be taken by the gods.