Death of Lucretia. Jamque erat orta dies: passis sedet illa capillis; Grandaevumque patrem fido cum conjuge castris Utque vident habitum,1 "Quae luctus causa ?" requirunt: 5 "Cui paret exsequias, quove sit icta malo?' Illa diu reticet, pudibundaque celat amictu Ora: fluunt lacrimae more perennis aquae. Hinc pater, hinc conjunx lacrimas solantur, et orant Indicet: et caeco flentque paventque metu. Ter conata loqui; ter destitit: ausaque quarto, Non oculos adeo 2 sustulit illa suos. 10 "Hoc quoque Tarquinio debebimus? Eloquar," inquit, "Eloquar infelix dedecus ipsa meum.' Quaeque potest, narrat; restabant ultima: flevit; 15 Dant veniam facto genitor conjunxque coacto: Et cadit in patrios sanguinolenta pedes. 20 Tunc quoque, jam moriens, ne non procumbat honeste, 3 Respicit haec etiam cura cadentis erat. 1 Habitum. "Her condition, plight." Below, after "orant," "ut" is omitted; and "caeco metu" is "with apprehension ignorant of the facts: in vague alarm." 2 Adeo. "The more for that:" although she tried often, she did not the more for that succeed. Below, "restabant ultima" is "the last part of her story remained untold." 3 Respicit. Even in falling Lucretia was anxious to avoid aught unseemly : "That like the Roman in the Capitol, Ecce super corpus, communia damna gementes, 30 "Per tibi ego1 hunc juro fortem castumque cruorem, Perque tuos Manes, qui mihi Numen erunt; Tarquinium poenas profuga cum stirpe daturum : Jam satis est virtus 2 dissimulata diu." 3 Illa jacens, ad verba oculos sine lumine movit, the origin of the name of Brutus, as he was called so by reason of his supposed stupidity or idiocy. He belies his name of idiot by showing great intelligence. 1 Per tibi ego, etc. This peculiar arrangement of words is often found in oaths—a sign perhaps of great mental excitement. Cf. Verg. Aen. iv. 314: "Per ego has lacrimas dextramque tuam te." 2 Virtus. "My real bravery of character has been concealed too long." It was time for Brutus to display his real character. "Dissimulare" is to 35 40 conceal what exists; "simulare," to pretend that that exists which does not. Below, "sine lumine" is "although her power of sight was gone." 3 Invidiam. The odium in which the Tarquins were involved; the hatred against them. Below, "vulnus inane" is the "unclosed, gaping wound" where Lucretia stabbed herself. Regis. The king, Tarquinius Superbus. Brutus enumerates his cruel deeds, and, as we are to infer, added the last act of his son. Below, "regnis" is 66 a kingly form of government." Ariadne, deserted by Theseus, is married to Bacchus. 5 10 Clamabat, flebatque simul; sed utrumque 2 decebat, Vix sedet; et pressas continet arte jubas. que, Quadrupedem ferula dum malus urget eques; In caput aurito cecidit delapsus asello. Clamârunt Satyri, Surge age, surge, pater. 1 Gnossis. A feminine adjec tive; Ariadne being a Cretan lady, and Gnossus a town of Crete. 2 Utrumque. Both her cries and her tears. Below, "turpior" is "less beautiful." Cf. Hor. Carm. ii. 8: "Dente si nigro fieres vel uno Turpior ungui." Quid mihi fiet. "What will 66 20 become of me?" Below, excidit" is "she fainted," and so, of course, broke off or left unfinished her last words. 4 Mimallonides. The Bacchanals. The word is said to be a Macedonian one. Silenus skilfully (arte) held on by the mane of the ass, which he grasped tightly. 25 Jam deus e curru, quem summum texerat uvis, 30 Pars, Hymenaee, canunt: pars clamant, Evie, evoe! Sic coëunt sacro nupta deusque toro. Ariadne changed into a goddess. Jam bene perjuro mutârat conjuge Bacchum, Sorte tori gaudens, " Quid flebam rustica?" dixit; Utiliter nobis perfidus ille fuit. Interea Liber depexis crinibus Indos 1 Theseus, i.e., all thought of Theseus. Below, "cura fidelior" is "a more faithful guardian." Cf. Ovid, Heroid. i. 104: "Tertius immundae cura fidelis harae." 5 her false husband," so that the ablative here is one of the instruments really, or price. Ariadne had enabled Theseus to thread the labyrinth by giving him a clue to guide him through its 2 Omnia posse. to do everything." 3 Mutarat. "Had obtained Bacchus in exchange, by giving "To be able intricacies. 4 Depexos crinibus. "The straight-haired Indians," as distinguished from the woolly Inter captivas facie praestante puellas, Grata nimis Baccho, filia Regis erat. 10 "En iterum similes, fluctus, audite querelas! O utinam mea sors, qua primum 1 coeperat, îsset! Bacche levis, leviorque tuis, quae tempora cingunt, 20 Heu! ubi pacta fides? ubi, quae jurare solebas? 25 Ne sciat hoc quisquam, tacitisque doloribus urar; haired Africans. The daughter 1 Qua primum, etc. "Had gone by the path it had begun to go by." Ariadne wishes she had been left to die when Theseus deserted her. Below, 3 30 "potui dedoluisse" is "I might have been rid of my sorrow once for all." "Potui dedolere" would have been the more correct form: but Ovid (Fasti, i. 354) has "debueras abstinuisse, debueras evoluisse" (Heroid. xii. 4). 2 In lacrimas, etc. "Known to my cost." 3 Celari Thesea. That Theseus should be kept in the dark |