XXIV

CLOELIA.

Obsidibus.] The Romans had been obliged to give hostages before Porsenna would withdraw his troops from the Janiculum.

....

XXV

BATTLE OF LAKE REGILLUS.

The battle of the Lake Regillus, as described by Livy, is not an engagement between two armies, it is a conflict of heroes, like those in the Iliad. . . . . This battle of giants, in which the gods openly take part and determine the result, closes the Lay of the Tarquins.... the whole generation who had been warring with one another ever since the crime of Sextius, were swept away in this Mort of Heroes. Thus the manes of Lucretia are appeased, and the men of the heroic age depart out of the world before injustice begins to domineer, and gives birth to insurrection, in the state which they had delivered.'-Niebuhr. See also Macaulay's 'Lays of Ancient Rome,' preface to 'Battle of the Lake Regillus,' where the epic features of this story are more fully detailed. (1) Infestis hastis.] Ablativus Modi. Fendo is to strike. Infendo, to strike against. So Infesta hasta, a spear driven against one's enemy; 'laid in rest,' 'couched.' Hence, metaphorically, we have infestus, an enemy; infestus ira excited against anyone with anger.

Ea... pugnam parumper restituit.] Ea, sc. cohors.

(2) Ejusdem interfecti forent.] Sc. Reges. His family had already the glory of having expelled the Tarquinii. He wished it to have the further glory of killing some of the royal family.

(3) Antesignanis.] This was the general name for all the soldiers who fought in the front ranks. The standards (signa) were carried in the space between the first (Hastati) and the second line (Principes). The actual front ranks of men were called Principia. The third line, composed of veterans, was called Triarii.

Juventutis proceres.] The cavalry, composed chiefly of the best blood and most wealthy of the state.

Impulsi.] Refers to the single impression made on the enemy by the charge, perculsa to its effect on their whole line.

XXVI

MENENIUS AGRIPPA.

(1) The Plebs had been driven to desperation by the cruel laws concerning debt, and other oppressions of the Patres. At last, unable to obtain redress, they left the city, proposing to found a new home on Mons Sacer in the Crustumine tribe. At the same time probably their fellows in the city occupied the Aventine Hill.

Exercitus.] The army had been enrolled to fight against the Volsci, Sabines, and Equi.

Incerti.] The full expression would be 'Incerti utrum mallent an eam manere an abire.'

(2) Quod inde oriundus erat.] Inde = 'Ex plebe.'

Consentiant.] This seems to have been attracted into the present tense from 'ut nunc' preceding; we should have expected 'consenserint, ut

nunc consentiant.'

Maturum confecto cibo sanguinem.] The digestion feeds the blood, and enables it to reach perfection.

Sacrosancti.] Their persons, as those of heralds, were to be inviolable. Whoever harmed them was to be accursed and outlawed, kith and kin.

XXVII

CORIOLANUS.

(1) In proxima urbis.] Compare 'Strata viarum,' 'Summa montium.' In Livy we have the following;- aversa urbis,' the opposite side of the town; summa urbis ; infrequentissima urbis, the least inhabited parts; ima urbis, &c.

Temere abreptum.] Quem forte e foco abripuerat. (2) Clausis.]= Obsessis.

Quæsitum.] Ad frumentum coemendum.

2. Corn. 3. The

(3) Annonam.] 1. The year's produce of corn. value, price, of corn. 4. Scarcity of corn; as in such phrases as 'annona laboratum est.'

Redemptus.] For, by giving political rights to the plebs, the Patres had, as it were, ransomed themselves from the hands of enemies. He speaks here, and in the next sentences, as the representative of his order. For he had had nothing to do with the expulsion of the Tarquinii. He must then have been a boy.

K

Tertio anno.] Sc. Abhinc.

(4) Armavit.] 'Ad arma pepulit.' The next few lines are in oratio obliqua, depending on 'Fremebant,' or some such word.

Diem dixissent.] Lit., 'Had appointed a day on which Coriolanus was to stand his trial before the people. Hence 'Diem dicere,' to 'indict

a man.'

Defungendum.] Sc. 'Periculo.' him to get quit of their own danger. 'quit' of the toils and troubles of life.

They would have had to sacrifice
So the dead are said to be 'defunct,'

(5) Innocentem.] So as to pronounce him innocent.' Pro nocente.] Allowing him to be guilty.'

Exulatum.] The 'exulatio,' or 'act of being out of the state,' was voluntary in theory; that is in early times the Romans did not use the punishment of banishment. But an 'exul' would cease, as long as he resided abroad, to be a Roman citizen, and by interdiction of fire and water his return might be prevented.

(6) Timorem.] His fear of Jupiter. The following ne.. abiret, depends on verecundia. He was partly afraid of troubling the Consuls, and partly of being laughed at.

Præsentior res erat.]= Manifestior. So we have below ‘minas -repræsentatas,' 'realised,' 'brought home to his senses.'

Captus membris.] Used of any particular part of the body, oculis auribus, mente, captus. In the same way, kwpós either 'dumb' (<. T1jv φωνὴν); “ deaf ( κ. τὴν ἀκοὴν); and senseless” (κ. τὴν φρένα).

6

(7) Quod sequius sit.] An euphemism for 'Quod malum sit.' 'Benè aut secus means 'well or ill' (lit. 'otherwise than should be'). Hence 'sequior, sequius'='worse than should be.' The seasons of the Games were seasons of sacred peace throughout Italy, as in Greece and Asia. So the Volsci came to Rome without suspicion.

Urbem excederent.]=Urbem excedendo relinquerent.

(8) Continuato.] See note on xvi. (1).

Caput Ferentinum.]= Caput aquæ Ferentinæ. See note on xvii. (1). Secunda ira.] Obsecundantia.' So 'Verba secunda ’= Flattery. Aliam.] Cæteram. Comp. xx. (1).

=

Veteres.] The clauses of this sentence are transposed. The direct order would be 'Ut obliviscamini veteres... injurias... omnia alia.' Traductos.]= Ludificatos.

Piaculum.]=Poena sacrilegii.

(9) Novella oppida.] Towns, that is, lately conquered by the Romans, and added to their empire.

(11) Parum invenio.]= Vix invenio, haud invenio.

Offusa oculis.]= Objecta oculis.

(12) Ut sim miserrima.] 'Ut' is here used where we should generally

find 'quamvis.' In the second clause Livy commonly has 'ita.'

(13) Fabium.] Fabius Pictor, the oldest of Roman historians. His Annals commence with the founding of Rome, and end with the Second Punic War.

Exacta atate.] 'Exactus' means 'far-spent,' not 'ended,' so that 'ætas exacta' senectus.

=

XXVIII

THE FABII.

(1) The expedition of the Fabii was in a military point of view this ;that they attempted to reduce the Veientines by occupying a strong post in their territory. So the Peloponnesians brought Athens to ruin in great measure by the iжTaxioμòs of Deceleia.

Auctores sumus.] See note on xvii. (3).

Familiare.] As if it belonged to our 'familia' rather than to the

state.

Illic.] In illo bello.

(2) Paludatus.] Wearing the paludamentum. See note on viii. (6). In later times the Paludamentum was not assumed till the city gates were passed.

Nec spem nec curam.] Livy means to say that their minds were so highly strung that they could feel neither hope nor fear in moderation. Every thing was over-wrought, and on a grand scale. Spem and curam are explanatory of, and in apposition to, nihil.

Quicquid deorum.] See note on xxi. (3).

See

(3) Dextro Jano.] See note on vii. (2). The road is called infelix by anticipation. It was considered unlucky ever after their disaster. Ovid, Fasti ii. 201, 2:

'Carmentis portæ dextra est via proxima Jano;

Ire per hanc noli, quisquis es; omen habet.'

This description is not among his best. It reads poorly after Livy's. (4) Ex re.] Suggested by the nature of the case, the boldness and rashness of the Fabii.

Rara arma.]= Hinc atque hinc sparsa. In small bodies scattered at intervals over the plain.

(5) Insignem. . faciebat.] Take these words together. Insignis = conspicuus.

Vincebat.] The imperfect often signifies an action which is on the

point of being done. So, too, the Aorist, as in xxii. (1), above, ‘Pons sublicius iter pæne hostibus dedit ni unus vir fuisset, Horatius Cocles.'

Another account, preferred by Arnold, is that the Fabii were cut off treacherously when on their way to Rome to celebrate the Gentile Sacrifices of their clan.

Maximum. . . auxilium.] This Quintus Fabius is Consul, according to Livy, eleven years after. He was a man himself of no particular note. What Livy means is that he preserved the Fabian race, which was to be the mainstay of Rome, in the person of Q. Fabius Maximus (B.c. 217), against Hannibal in the Second Punic War.

XXIX

CESO QUINTIUS.

(1) The state of affairs at the appearance of Caso Quintius was this. Caius Terentillus, one of the Tribunes, had proposed a law for the appointment of ten commissioners (Decemviri) for reformation of the laws. This was strongly resisted by the patricians, chiefly by the promotion of war, which drew away the people from peaceful pursuits. The Consuls hold a levy of soldiers for the war against the Volscians, which the tribunes do all they can to hinder. So the young patricians in their turn hinder the Tribunes when they bring forward their law, by organising bands of armed men and driving them from the Forum.

Modum faciebat.] They did not stop with asserting their own rights.

Discedere.] When the voting was about to take place all who did not belong to any tribe were ordered to withdraw from the Forum, and if any refused, the tribune used to send his officer (viator) to enforce compliance. On this occasion the young patricians resisted, and often attacked the tribunes, and drove them from the Forum.

Diem dicit.] See note on xxvii. (4).

Incidunt.] Everything that happened was attributed to Cæso, who was already an object of suspicion.

(3) Libertatem.] The whole question of the liberty of citizens seemed to turn upon the trial and condemnation of Cæso.

Tantam indolem tam maturæ virtutis.] 'Indoles' is used here like ' materia' in xiii. He had never seen any one whose character gave greater promise of the highest excellence.

Metu.] They were afraid to offend such powerful men, and therefore would not listen to their prayers.