145. Diversi: apart, turning aside, in various places.

146. vellet: rhetorical Potential Subjunctive implying negative answer.

tanti mali: of so great a misfortune.

147. quicquid erat: whatever it was.

pleasing; I, too, preferred.

potius iuvabat: it was more

149. amore videndi: i.e. by curiosity. For the reading here, see Ap

pendix.

151. Huc mihi, mater, adi: come hither, mother.

Dative; for the reading, see Appendix.

a procession.

152. aureus: resplendent with gold.

mihi: Ethical

Pompam ducit is heading

153. Protinus abscissa planxi mea pectora veste: tearing the clothes, beating the breast, plucking out the hair, and such modes of expressing intense grief, are very common in the ancient poets.

155. Ire animus suadebat: I felt an impulse to go. turbae: into the ranks of the surrounding throng.

mediae in agmina

156. sertaque, etc.: to snatch the garlands from the well-arranged hair, of the bride. demere rapta seize and take off, snatch.

sic laniata

capillos:

Accusative of

157. Vix me continui: with difficulty I refrained. capillos: with my hair torn as it was.

158. inicere manus: to lay the hands on; a legal term, a method of claiming possession.

160. Inferias, etc.: shade of my brother, receive thy offerings. The Pl. umbrae, like manes, is sometimes used of the spirit of one person. Inferiae were offerings to the dead.

162. coniuge goes with deseror: I am deserted by my husband; compare comitata natis, l. 135 above. omnia: everything; compare EUR. Med. 228: év yàp ĥv μοi táνra: 'for he, in whom was my all'; and Ov. Her. III. 51:

163. igitur: so.

Tot tamen amissis te compensavimus unum:

tu dominus, tu vir, tu mihi frater eras.

164. perdomuisse: to subdue; Perf. as Present. Compare sopire, l. 171. 165. pepuli: a reduplicated Perf.; Sedlmayer reads repuli.

166. flammas: i.e. her love for Jason; compare PROP. II. 1, 57: Omnes humanos sanat medicina dolores;

solus amor morbi non amat artificem.

167. Ipsi, etc.: even enchantments, and herbs, and magic arts fail me. 168. nil agunt: have no power.

tive.

Hecates: Greek form of the Geni

169. Non mihi, etc.: compare TIB. II. 4, 11: Nunc et amara dies et noctis amarior umbra est. noctes vigilantur amarae: the nights are

passed in bitter wakefulness.

173. paelex: Medea regards herself as the lawful wife.

174. fructus: Accusative Plural.

175. te iactare: to make a display before.

176. iniustis auribus apta: things suited to unfriendly ears.

177. in faciem, etc.: you make new, unfounded charges against my appearance and character; compare Her. 1. 77.

178. rideat, etc.: let her laugh and rejoice at my faults.

179. Tyrio in ostro: on the Tyrian purple; the royal couch.

180. ardores vincet adusta meos: being set on fire, she will surpass my flames; compare 1. 166. Medea sent to Creusa as a wedding gift a robe smeared with poisonous ointments which caused the unhappy bride to perish miserably in flames. See EUR. Med. 1136 ff.

184. animis verba minora meis: changes from threats to entreaty.

words humbler than my wrath; she Compare Her. . 85 : Vince animos iramque tuam; Met. vi. 368: verba minora dea = beneath the dignity of a goddess.

186. nec moror procubuisse: and I hesitate not to throw myself. 187. Si tibi sum vilis: if thou hast no regard for me.

unesteemed.

vilis: cheap,

188. dira noverca: a step-mother's cruelty has long been proverbial.

190. nostra: my.

191. avitae flammae: the sun.

192. meritum: the kindness I have shown thee.

pledges.

193. insana in my madness.

194. adde fidem dictis: be true to thy promises.

pignora: dear, lit.

196. utque tua, etc.: or that the serpent may grow quiet, overcome by thy

aid; I do not ask as much as I gave.

197. quem nobis ipse dedisti: whom thou thyself didst give me.

198. parente: Apposition to quo.

199. numeravimus: I counted it out, paid it in cash.

on that field.

Campo illo:

200. qui tibi, etc.: which had to be plowed by thee before thou couldst carry off (laturo) the fleece.

201. villo spectabilis aureo: distinguished for his golden wool. aureo: dissyllabic by Synizesis. Aureus, standing in the MSS. at the beginning of this verse, can hardly be correct with villo spectabilis aureo; I would suggest instead, At vero.

202. dos mea is my dowry.

say: give it back to me.

Quam dicam si tibi 'redde': if I should

203. tu sospes: thy safety, thy rescue. sospes applies also to iuventus. 204. Sisyphias opes: Sisyphus was the mythical founder of Corinth. As he had a bad reputation, the term is one of contempt.

compare.

205. Quod: the fact that. bride and father-in-law.

confer :

nuptam socerumque potentis: a powerful

206. hoc ipsum, etc.: this very fact, that thou hast it in thy power to be ungrateful, is my work; compare Trist. v. 9, 20: Hoc quoque, quod memores possumus esse, tuum est.

207. Quos equidem actutum, etc.: those whom I immediately—but what advantage is it to foretell my vengeance? She refers to her children, whom she murders to take vengeance on her husband.

208. Ingentis parturit ira minas: wrath brings forth mighty threats. 209. Facti fortasse pigebit: perhaps I shall regret the deed.

210. et piget, etc.: I also regret having assisted a faithless man. 211. Viderit ista deus: let the god see to that; referring to her threats. 212. Nescio quid maius: something out of the ordinary. considering.

agit: is

3. A PROPOSAL.

AM. I. 3.-1. Iusta precor: my prayers are just. captivated, has made me her praeda.

2. aut amet: let her either love me.

reason to.

praedata est: has

aut faciat cur: or give me

3. tantum patiatur amari: let her only suffer herself to be loved.

4. audierit: will have heard; if this one request be granted, I shall be satisfied; all my prayers will have been answered. Cytherea : i.e. Venus, so called from the island of Cythera, southeast of Laconia. Near this island, Venus sprang into existence out of the sea-foam and here she was especially worshipped.

5. tibi qui deserviat: who will continue to be thy slave.

knows how; Subjunctive of Characteristic.

7. veterum parentum: of ancient ancestors.

8. eques: a knight; if I belong only to the equestrian rank.

norit :

10. temperat, etc. and my parents, both economical, spare expenses. 11. at: nevertheless. Phoebus: Apollo, the god of music and poe

try.

comites novem: the Muses. vitis repertor: Bacchus. 12. hac faciunt: are on my side; compare Her. I. 103.

Amor, too.

13. nulli cessura fides: honor second to none.

a blameless character.

at Amor:

sine crimine mores:

14. nudaque, etc.: plain straightforwardness and blushing modesty. 15. desultor Amoris: fickle in love; see Vocabulary.

16. siqua fides: if thou wilt believe me.

mihi cura: my love.

17. fila sororum: the threads of the sisters; the Parcae.

18. contingat may it be my lot.

19. materiem: in apposition to te.

te dolente regretted by thee.

exter

21. Carmine nomen habent: have derived fame from poetry. rita cornibus Io: Io frightened by her own horns, when she was transformed into a cow by the jealous Juno. Compare Met. 1. 640.

the false bullock; Jupiter, disguised as a bull, carried Europa across the

water from Asia to Europe.

24. cornua vara: the out-curving horns.

26. nostra: my.

4. THE TABLET.

AM. I. 12.-1. tristes: with sad news.

2. Infelix: unhappy, bringing unhappiness, with sorrow fraught. hodie posse negat: says she cannot see me to-day.

3. Modo: just now.

4. digitos restitit icta: struck her toes and stopped; stumbling at the threshold was a bad omen. digitos: Accusative of Respect.

the maid-servant who carried the note.

5. Missa foras iterum: the next time you are sent out.

7. difficiles: unkind.

8. negaturis: conveying a

terpret them.

Nape:

No"; which will say "No" when I in

cera: the wax was spread on the wooden tablets and

the marks were made with the steel stylus.

9. quam refers to cera.

longae cicutae: of the tall hemlock; a

deadly poison, used in executions at Athens.

10. melle sub infami misit: placed you to hold honey of ill repute; according to Pliny, the Corsican honey was bitter.

11. At tamquam, etc.: but you blushed, so to speak, being thoroughly mixed with red lead; the poet imagines the wax to turn red from shame. 13. Proiectae triviis iaceatis: cast forth, may you lie where the streets meet.

17. suspendia: a gallows.

18. cruces crosses, for crucifixion.

19. bubonibus: owls; a large species. Strix was the screech owl. Both kinds were birds of ill omen.

24. quas aliquis cognitor legat: to be read by some advocate. 25. ephemeridas tabulasque : day-books and accounts. melius iacerent: would better have lain; would have been more appropriately placed.

26. absumptas opes: his wasted wealth.

fleret: would weep for.

27. Ergo, etc.: therefore I found you double-faced in fact (rebus) as well as in name; it was a folding tablet, the wax faces inside, the wood outside.

12, 1-30; 15, 1-23.] THE TABLET-A DEFENSE OF POESY.

There was luck in odd numbers.

28. numerus: the number (two). auspicii boni: of good omen; Genitive of Quality. 29. Quid precer: what am I to pray for ? rodat unless that wasting old age may gnaw you. 30. situ: mould.

155

nisi vos cariosa senectus

5. A DEFENSE OF POESY.

AM. I. 15.-1-2. Quid, etc.: why, biting envy, reproachest thou me with lazy years and callest poetry the work of an idle mind.

3. non me: (charging) that I do not.

while the active time of life permits.

4. sequi: pursue.

dum strenua sustinet aetas:

5. leges: Ovid more than once speaks slightingly of the profession which his father chose for him.

7. Mortale: for a time only.

mihi: Da

tive of Agent, more common with the compound tenses: 354; A. & G. 232, b; B. 189; H. 388.

9. Maeonides: that is, Homer.

quaeris: requirest.

an island; Ide: a mountain; Simois: a river-all near Troy and all mentioned by Homer.

11. Ascraeus: the bard of Ascra, in Boeotia, was Hesiod, the poet of the farmer; hence the mention of uva and Ceres. mustis: with juice;

the word usually means newly made wine.

12. incurva: curved.

13. Battiades: the Alexandrian poet Callimachus, a native of Cyrene, of which Battus was supposed to be the founder. Ovid seems to have had a correct estimate of him.

14. quamvis ingenio non valet: although he does not excel in genius; Ovid often uses quamvis with the Indicative: 606, R.; A. & G. 313, g; B. 309, 6; H. 515, ш. n. 3.

15. iactura: loss; the fame of Sophocles will remain undiminished. cothurno: the buskin; the foot-wear of tragic actors. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were the three great tragic poets of the Greeks. 16. Aratus: a writer on astronomy.

17. fallax servus, etc.: the standard characters in the Middle Comedy. Menander and his school are chiefly known to us through the translations of Plautus and Terence.

19. animosi: spirited, high-sounding.

nius and Accius were early Roman poets.

oris utterance, speech. En

21. primam... ratem: that is, the Argo; Varro Atacinus wrote,

among other things, an Argonautica.

22. terga: hide, fleece; poetic Plural. 23. sublimis: lofty, of elevated style. preciate this great poet.

duci Dative of Agent.

Ovid was one of the first to ap