The sacred shield, or ancile.

Mollis erat tellus rorata1 mane pruina;
Ante sui populus limina regis adest.
Prodit, et in solio medius consedit acerno;
Innumeri circa stantque silentque viri.
Ortus erat summo tantummodo margine Phoebus; 5
Sollicitae mentes speque metuque pavent.
Constitit, atque, caput niveo velatus amictu,
Jam bene dîs notas 2 sustulit ille manus;
Atque ita, "Tempus adest promissi muneris," in-
quit:

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15

"Pollicitam dictis, Juppiter, adde fidem." Dum loquitur, totum jam Sol emerserat orbem; Et gravis aetherio venit ab axe fragor. Ter tonuit sine nube deus, tria fulgura misitCredite dicenti; mira, sed acta, loquor! A media caelum regione dehiscere coepit, Submisere oculos cum duce turba suos: Ecce levi scutum versatum leniter aura Decidit: a populo clamor ad astra venit. Tollit humo munus caesa prius ille juvenca, Quae dederat nulli colla premenda jugo. Idque Ancile vocat, quod ab omni parte recisum est;8 Quaque notes oculis, angulus omnis abest.

1 Rorata. "Sprinkled like dew." Similar passive participles from neuter verbs are : "regnatus," "clamatus," "lacrimatus," "erratus." Below, "prodit" is from "prodeo."

2 Bene dis notas. Numa was accustomed to offer prayers to the gods: he was a well-known worshipper. Below, "submisere oculos" is probably here "raised

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their eyes." The earth is said "submittere flores," to send up flowers from beneath. Similarly, Verg. Eclog. x. 74: "Viridis se subjicit alnus."

3 Recisum est. The derivation of "ancile" is here supposed to be ȧykúλos, crooked, and rounded, so as to present no angle. The shield was rounded at the top and bottom, and broader at the

Tum, memor imperii sortem consistere in illo,

Consilium multae calliditatis init.

Plura jubet fieri simili caelata figura;
Error ut ante oculos insidiantis eat.

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Tullia's cruelty.

Tullia,1 conjugio, sceleris mercede, parato,
His solita est dictis exstimulare virum:
"Quid juvat esse pares, te nostrae caede sororis,
Meque tui fratris, si pia vita placet ?
Vivere debuerant et vir meus, et tua conjunx,
Si nullum ausuri majus eramus opus.

Et caput et regnum facio dotale 2 parentis:
Si vir es, i, dictas exige dotis opes.

Regia res scelus est; socero cape regna necato;
Et nostras patrio sanguine tinge manus."

5

10

Talibus instinctus solio privatus in alto
Sederat: attonitum vulgus ad arma ruit.
Hinc cruor, hinc caedes; infirmaque vincitur aetas:
Sceptra gener socero rapta Superbus habet.
Ipse sub Esquiliis, ubi erat sua regia, caesus,
Concidit in dura sanguinolentus humo.

8

15

Below, "pia vita" is "a life of affection for her father."

2 Dotale. "My father's life and kingdom are my marriage portion; go at once and demand the portion agreed on. At once kill Servius Tullius, and seize his power." Below, "infirma aetas" is the "feeble old man." 3 Sua regia, etc. "Where his very own palace was." Below, "corripit" is "chides, rates."

Filia, carpento patrios initura Penates,
Ibat per medias alta feroxque vias.
Corpus ut aspexit, lacrimis auriga profusis
Restitit; hunc tali corripit illa sono:

"Vadis, an exspectas pretium 1 pietatis amarum?
Duc, inquam, invitas ipsa per ora rotas.”
Certa fides 2 facti; dictus Sceleratus ab illa
Vicus, et aeterna res ea pressa nota,

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The capture of Gabii.

Ultima Tarquinius Romanae gentis habebat
Regna: vir injustus, fortis ad arma tamen.
Ceperat hic alias, alias everterat urbes;
Et Gabios turpi fecerat arte suos.

Namque trium minimus, proles manifesta Superbi, 5
In medios hostes nocte silente venit.
Nudârant gladios: "Occidite, dixit, inermem!
Hoc cupiant fratres, Tarquiniusque pater,
Qui mea crudeli laceravit verbere terga."
(Dicere ut hoc posset, verbera passus erat.)

1 Pretium, etc. This is ironical: "Are you waiting for a reward for respect towards Servius, which will bring you bitterness?" The only reward he would get would be punishment, if he hesitated any longer to drive over the king's corpse.

2 Certa fides, etc. "The obvious proof of this occurrence, is (the existence now of) the street," etc. Below, "res ea," etc., is "the deed is branded with an eternal stigma."

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3 Tarquinius. Superbus, the last king of Rome. His youngest son was so like his father in character that there could be no doubt about his parentage.

Hoc cupiant, etc. "This is just what my brothers would like." So Verg. Aen. ii. 104: "Hic Ithacus velit, et magno mercentur Atreidae." Below, "tueatur bellum" seems to be, "that he would undertake, or take charge of the war."

Luna fuit: spectant juvenem, gladiosque recondunt, Tergaque, deducta veste, notata vident.

Flent quoque, et, ut secum tueatur bella, precantur;
Callidus ignaris annuit ille viris.

Jamque potens,1 misso genitorem appellat amico, 15
Perdendi Gabios quod sibi monstret iter.
Hortus odoratis suberat cultissimus herbis,
Sectus humum rivo lene sonantis aquae.
Illic Tarquinius mandata latentia 2 nati
Accipit, et virga lilia summa metit.
Nuntius ut rediit, decussaque lilia dixit;
Filius, "Agnosco jussa parentis," ait.
Nec mora: Principibus caesis ex urbe Gabina,
Traduntur ducibus moenia nuda suis.

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March.

3

Martia ter senos proles adoleverat annos,
Et suberat flavae jam nova barba comae;
Omnibus agricolis, armentorumque magistris
Iliadae fratres jura petita dabant:

1 Jamque potens.
"And now
being in authority." Below,
"humum" is a Greek accusa-
tive of respect.

2 Latentia. Because the messenger did not comprehend the true import of the message carried. Below, "principibus is "the leading citizens."

3 Martia... proles. Romulus and Remus, sons of Ilia, by Mars. Below, "Iliadae" is ambiguous. One would at first suppose it to mean sons of Ilia," but patronymics are seldom formed from

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the mother's name. Ovid speaks of Ganymedes as Iliades; and possibly, I think, he might have used Iliadae here in the sense of descendants from Ilus. Ilia was the daughter of Numitor; and through her father, the kings of Alba Longa, Ascanius and Aeneas, descended from Ilus, a king of Troy. Still, as Ovid continually speaks of Romulus and Remus Iliadae, I believe he means sons of Ilia,

as

Saepe domum veniunt praedonum sanguine laeti, 5
Et redigunt actos in sua rura boves.
Ut genus audierunt, animos pater editus auget;
Et pudet in paucis nomen habere casis;
Romuleoque cadit trajectus Amulius ense;
Regnaque longaevo restituuntur avo.

Moenia conduntur: quae, quamvis parva fuerunt,
Non tamen expediit1 transiluisse Remo.

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Jam, modo quâ fuerant silvae, pecorumque re

cessus,

Urbs erat; aeternae cum pater Urbis ait:
Arbiter Armorum, de cujus sanguine natus
Credor (et, ut credar, pignora multa dabo),
A te principium Romano ducimus anno;
Primus de patrio nomine mensis erit.
Vox rata fit: patrioque vocat de nomine mensem,
Dicitur haec pietas grata fuisse Deo.

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Osiris.

Primus aratra manu solerti fecit Osiris,
Et teneram ferro sollicitavit humum;
Primus inexpertae commisit semina terrae,
Pomaque non notis legit ab arboribus:
Hic docuit teneram palis adjungere vitem,
Hic viridem durâ caedere falce comam:
Illi jucundos primum matura sapores
Expressa incultis uva dedit pedibus.

1 Non tamen expediit. Remus leaped over the tiny walls to his cost, and lost his life in consequence. Below, "ut credar,"

5

etc., means, "I will give many proofs of prowess, so as to justify the report, and make it credible."