At, puto, praeposita est fuscae mihi candida pellex:1
Eveniat nostris hostibus ille color.

Quid tamen hoc refert, vitio si gratior ipso est? 35
Quid facis? Amplexus inquinat illa tuos.
Bacche, fidem praesta; nec praefer amoribus ullam
Conjugis; assuevi semper amare virum.
Ceperunt matrem 2 formosi cornua tauri,

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Me tua: at hic laudi est, ille pudendus amor. Ne noceat quod amo: neque enim tibi, Bacche, nocebat,

Quod flammas nobis fassus es ipse tuas.

Nec, quod nos uris, mirum facis; ortus in igne "
Diceris, et patria raptus ab igne manu.
Illa ego sum, cui tu solitus promittere caelum.
Hei mihi, pro caelo qualia dona fero!"
Dixerat audibat jamdudum verba querentis
Liber, ut a tergo forte secutus erat.

Occupat amplexu, lacrimasque per oscula siccat;
Et, Pariter caeli summa petamus, ait.

about this, so that "Thesea" is the subject of "celari." Mr. Paley quotes Tibull. i. 8, 1: "Non ego celari possim;" and Ter. Hec. iv. 3, 23: "Nos ne hoc celatos tamdiu?" "Celare," like "poscere," "rogare," "docere," etc., has two accusatives in the active, and therefore, like those verbs, can be constructed with one accusative in the passive.

1 Candida pellex. This is ironical: "I suppose it is a fair-complexioned mistress who is preferred to me, a dark beauty;" the fact being just the reverse, the Indian lady being dark, and Ariadne fair by comparison. Below, "vitio"

is

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"her very defect," i.e., her dark skin.

2 Matrem. "Pasiphae." Bac chus was represented with horns, and was said, from the inspiriting effects of wine, to give the toper horns ("Addis cornua pauperi," Hor. iii. 21, 18). Below, "laudi est" is "is creditable to me: a matter for praise."

3 In igne. Semele, the mother of Bacchus, was consumed to ashes by the splendour of Jupiter. Below, "audibat" is an old form of "audiebat." It is also found in Catullus, lxxxiv. 8. Virgil has "vestibat" for " vestiebat" (Aen. viii. 160).

Occupat amplexu.

Not

Tu mihi juncta toro, mihi juncta vocabula sumes: Jam tibi mutatae Libera nomen erit,

Time alters everything, except Ovid's sorrows.
Tempore ruricolae patiens fit taurus aratri,
Praebet et incurvo colla premenda jugo.
Tempore paret equus lentis animosus habenis,
Et placido duros accipit ore lupos.1
Tempore Poenorum compescitur ira leonum :
Nec feritas animo, quae fuit ante, manet.
Quaeque sui monitis obtemperat Inda magistri
Belua, servitium tempore victa subit.
Tempus, ut extentis tumeat, facit, uva racemis;
Vixque merum capiant grana, quod intus habent.
Tempus et in canas semen producit aristas;
Et ne sint tristi poma sapore facit.

Hoc tenuat dentem terras renovantis aratri,
Hoc rigidas silices, hoc adamanta terit.
Hoc etiam saevas paulatim mitigat iras:

Hoc minuit luctus, maestaque corda levat.
Cuncta potest igitur tacito pede lapsa vetustas
Praeterquam curas attenuare meas.
Ut patria careo,2 bis frugibus area trita est:
Dissiluit nudo pressa bis uva pede.3

"seizes her in his embrace," but
rather, "anticipates any further
complaints by embracing her."

Lupos. A bit with jagged edge like a wolf's teeth. So Hor. Carm. i. 8: "Gallica nec lupatis temperat ora frenis. Below, "belua" generally conveys the idea of a somewhat unsightly monstrous beast.

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2 Ut patria careo. "Since I have been deprived of my native land." The present is used in similar expressions because the effect is still remaining at the time of the narrative. Ovid was still, while writing, an exile.

3 Nudo pede. Compare Macaulay's Horatius (viii.):—

Nec quaesita tamen spatio patientia longo est;
Mensque mali sensum nostra recentis habet.
Scilicet et veteres fugiunt juga curva juvenci,
Et domitus freno saepe repugnat equus.
Tristior est etiam praesens aerumna priore;

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Ut sit enim sibi par, crevit, et aucta mora est. Nec tam nota mihi, quam sunt, mala nostra fuerunt; Sed magis hoc, quo sunt cognitiora, gravant. Est quoque non minimum, vires afferre recentes; Nec praeconsumptum temporis esse malis. Fortior in fulva novus est luctator arena,

1

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Quam cui sunt tarda bracchia fessa mora. Integer est melior nitidis gladiator in armis, Quam cui tela suo sanguine tincta rubent. Fert bene praecipites navis modo facta procellas; 35 Quamlibet exiguo solvitur imbre vetus.

Nos quoque, quae ferimus, tulimus patientius ante; Et mala sunt longo multiplicata die.

Ovid cannot enjoy his native place Sulmo, because the lady of his love is absent.

Pars me Sulmo tenet Peligni tertia ruris;
Parva, sed irriguis ora salubris aquis.
Sol licet admoto tellurem sidere findat,
Et micet Icarii stella proterva canis ; 2

"And in the vats of Luna,

This year the must shall foam,

Whose sires have marched to Rome."

least advantage is to bring unim

Round the white feet of laughing girls, paired strength to the endurance of evils." Below, 66 quamlibet exiguo" is "no matter how small."

Below, "ut sit," etc., is "for though it remains equal to itself: does not actually increase." 1 Est quoque, etc. "Not the

2 Canis. The dog star, once, before translation to the sky, the dog of Icarius. The star is

Arva pererrantur Peligna liquentibus undis;
Et viret in tenero fertilis herba solo.
Terra ferax Cereris, multoque feracior uvae;
Dat quoque baciferam Pallada1 gratus ager:
Perque resurgentes rivis labentibus herbas

Gramineus madidam cespes obumbrat humum. 10 At meus ignis abest. Verbo peccavimus uno. Quae movet ardores, est procul; ardor adest. Non ego, si medius Polluce et Castore ponar, In caeli sine te parte fuisse velim. Solliciti jaceant, terraque premantur iniqua, In longas orbem qui secuere vias. At juvenum comites jussissent ire puellas, Si fuit in longas terra secanda vias.

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Tum mihi, si premerem ventosas horridus Alpes,
(Dummodo cum domina) molle fuisset iter.
Cum domina Libycas ausim perrumpere Syrtes,
Et dare non aequis vela ferenda Notis.
At sine te, quamvis operosi 2 vitibus agri
Me teneant, quamvis amnibus arva natent,
Et vocet in rivos parentem rusticus undam,
Frigidaque arboreas mulceat aura comas;
Non ego Pelignos videor celebrare salubres;
Non ego natalem, rura paterna, locum;
Sed Scythiam, Cilicasque feros, viridesque Britan-
nos,3

Quaeque Prometheo saxa cruore rubent.

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2 Operosi, etc. Requiring much attention by reason of their vines." Below, "celebrare" is, as often, "to be visiting."

3 Viridesque Britannos. The green woad-dyed Britons. Caesar speaks of them as azure blue (caeruleus) in colour.

Prometheo. Prometheus was

Ulmus amat vitem, vitis non deserit ulmum :
Separor a domina cur ego saepe mea?
At mihi te comitem jurâras usque futuram,
Per me, perque oculos, sidera nostra, tuos,
Verba puellarum, foliis leviora caducis,
Irrita, quo visum est, ventus et unda ferunt.
Si qua mei tamen est in te pia cura relicti,1
Incipe pollicitis addere facta tuis:

1

Parvaque quamprimum rapientibus esseda mannis,
Ipsa per admissas concute lora jubas.

At vos, qua veniet, tumidi subsidite montes;
Et faciles curvis vallibus este viae.

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The Muse of Tragedy rebukes Ovid for having written
so much love poetry, and desires him to write tragedy,
Stat vetus et multos incaedua silva per annos;
Credibile est illi numen inesse loco.

Fons sacer in medio, speluncaque pumice pendens ;
Et latere ex omni dulce queruntur aves.
Hic ego, dum spatior tectus nemoralibus umbris,
Quod mea, quaerebam,2 Musa moveret opus.
Ingenti venit violenta Tragoedia passu :
Fronte comae torva, palla jacebat humi.

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1 Relicti. "Abandoned, left behind." Below, "admissas jubas" is "the necks of your horses at speed."

2 Quaerebam. "Was asking myself what kind of work my muse should take in hand." Below, "lente poeta," etc., is "O idle poet of your own subject!" Ovid wrote love poetry, being himself a general lover.