Advenere, domum conventu tota frequentat optato quum junxit lumine taeda.' Most MSS., according to Mr. Ellis, have 'optato finitae,' which he retains. The plural of lux is more often used of the heavenly bodies, than of the day, as here. 32. Advenere. Some MSS. give 'ut venere.' Though simul' is used more often with ac' and 'atque,' in Cicero we find it commonly with 'ut,' but seldom, if ever, separated from it, as in the case above supposed. Catullus often uses 'simul' by itself for simul ac.' 33. Oppletur. Found in Plautus and Lucretius, but afterwards used more in prose than poetry. 34. Prae se is best taken with 'ferunt: Doering alone punctuates otherwise. 35. Scyros. MSS. Syros.' The Dolopians who occupied Scyros were a Thessalian race: cp. Thuc. i. 98, which may help to explain the mention of so distant a place. Lachm., Haupt, and Schwabe read' Cieros,' a town in Thessaly, identified by some with Arne, the famous town from which the Aeolians migrated to Boeotia. Phthiotica tempe, the valleys of Phthiotis; tempe' being used here, as in Virg. G. 2. 469 and elsewhere, for any scenery like the real Tempe, which was not near Phthiotis. Cp. Cic. Ep. ad Att. 4. 15 Reatini me ad sua réμnŋ duxerunt.' Lachm. suggests‘Phthiotida, Tempe.' It is simpler, however, to suppose a lack of topographical precision in the poet. See Prof. Conington's note on Virgil's vagueness about Pharsalia and Philippi, G. 1.490. 36. Crannonisque domos. 35 40 45 The best conjectures that could be made from the confusions of the MSS. Crannon and Larissa were the two most important towns of Thessaly. Larissa probably meaning 'a fortified town' in Pelasgian, moenia is not inapplicable. 37. Pharsalum: so Lachm. and Haupt. This reading saves the awkwardness of scanning Pharsaliam' as a trisyllable, or supposing a change of quantity in the same line. Besides, Pharsalus' is the right name for the town, 'Pharsalia' for the district. 39. Humilis, low-lying:' not the epithet we should have expected for a vineyard: but some vines were best adapted for the lower grounds, as here for the rich plain of Thessaly, others for the hill-sides. See Virg. G. 2. 273 Collibus an plano melius sit ponere vites.' 40. Prono vomere, deep-pressed, deep-driven share,' illustrating the convellit.' 42. Robigo, formed like aerugo,' 'ferrugo,' from 'robus,' old form of 'ruber.' Lachm. writes rubigo.' But the god or goddess to which the Robigalia were dedicated seems to have been originally spelt with an o. 43. Ipsius, i. e. Peleus, as involved in ' regia.' Recessit, far inward as it stretched.' Cp. Virg. Ae. 2. 300, in a somewhat similar sense, 'secreta parentis Anchisae domus arboribusque obtecta recessit.' 45. Mensae, like 'soliis,' dative: 'sparkle on the board;' or genitive, as Virg. Ae. Tota domus gaudet regali splendida gaza. Namque fluentisono prospectans litore Diae 11. 738 plenae pocula mensae.' Doering reads mensis,' without authority; though Virgil, Ae. 1. 640, in a passage evidently imitated from this, has 'Ingens argentum mensis.' The middle rhyme made by 'mensis' with 'soliis' would not be agreeable. 46. Gaza. A Persian word; taken with 'splendida,' 'Gay is all the palace, glittering with royal wealth.' Cp. Virg. Ae. 1. 637 ⚫ regali splendida luxu.' 47. Pulvinar geniale. The bridal couch dedicated to the genius of the married couple, and placed in the atrium' or inner court. Cp. Hor. Ep. 1. 1, 87 'Lectus genialis in aula est.' It was called also ⚫ lectus adversus,' from being opposite the door, as in Prop. 5 (4). 11, 85 'Seu tamen adversum mutarit janua lectum.' Divae, Thetis. lium' = Cp. 49. Conchyli, genitive of conchyκογχύλιον. Cp. Lucr. 6. 1072 Purpureusque colos conchyli.' There seems to have been no such form as 'conchylis,' which the Aldine editions have. 50. Vestis, coverlet :' so v. 163. Lucr. 2. 36, and Virg. Ae. 1. 639 Arte laboratae vestes ostroque superbo.' The next two hundred and thirteen lines are taken up with describing the embroidery work of this coverlet. The tale of the desertion of Ariadne is set forth to point the contrast between the faithlessness of Theseus and misery of Ariadne on the one hand, and the fidelity of Peleus and happiness of Thetis on the other. 52. Fluentisono. μενον. 50 55 60 Αη ἅπαξ λεγό Diae, old name for Naxos. Cp. Hom. Od. 11. 334 Δίῃ ἐν ἀμφιρύτῃ. There is a mountain in Naxos still called Zia.' Note the alliteration of the following line. 55. The text is Voss's conjecture. As far as the MSS. are concerned it is (as Orelli says) a 'locus conclamatus.' Weber adopts Sillig's emendation (which involves the slightest change from the MSS., but which scans 'fuit' as a monosyllable): Necdum etiam sese, quae fuit, tunc credidit esse.' 56. Utpote is, no doubt, more often used with the subjunctive; but in Cicero we have one or two examples of the indicative, as Ep. ad Att. 2. 24, 4 'Ea nos, utpote qui nihil contemnere solemus, non pertimescebamus.' 57. Cernat. The MSS. and texts are divided between cernit' and 'cernat.' Lachm., Haupt, and Schwabe prefer 'cernat.' Saxea ut effigies bacchantis, prospicit, euhoe, Sed neque tum mitrae, neque tum fluitantis amictus Ah misera, assiduis quam luctibus externavit Illa tempestate, ferox quo ex tempore Theseus 5.743. 65 70 75 The 166: see Lachm. on Lucr. 4. 1020. 6 62. Fluctuat, the scenery suggesting and without the s,' as in Orelli and the metaphor. 63. Subtilem .. levi. Not able to keep even the fine scarf or veil on her auburn head, or the light mantle on her breast. These epithets help to mark the fever and passion of her grief: so perhaps tereti strophio. 65. Strophium, σтpódiov, band.' breast Lachm. has this form of the verb here, while at Lucr. 5. 883 he has lactantia.' The form in the text is much the most common of the two. We are much tempted by the ingenious conjecture of Muretus luctantes,' the Latinity of which Orelli unreasonably, it seems to me, disputes. 66. Passim, to and fro,' 'here and there,' to be joined with alludebant.' 67. Alludebant. Found rarely with an accusative; perhaps an imitation of πрoσπαίζειν τινα in Greek. In Val. Fl. 6. 664 we have 'summa cacumina silvae Lenibus alludit flabris levis auster.' Some MSS. have allidebant.' 71. Externavit, maddened;' cp. v. Lachmann respectively. There is little to recommend the reading of Achilles Statius (the commentator on Catullus), ‘extenuavit,' found in a very few MSS.: cp. v. 165. Α 73. Tempestate..tempore. kind of redundancy not uncommon in Caesar: cp. B. G. 1. 6 'illa die,' .. ‘qua die:' so in Cic. Div. in Caec. 13 illius temporis,' 1 quo die.' Ferox quo ex tempore,' though rough in sound, seems to be the nearest approach to the MSS., which give 'ferox et,' feroxque et.' 74. Piraei. A poetic anachronism for Phalerum, the early haven of Attica. The Piraeus, as a port, dates only from Themistocles' time. 75. Gortynia tecta, Gortyn, or Gortyna, the chief city in Crete next to Gnossus, in which latter city Homer makes Minos reign. Od. 19. 178. Tecta' (MSS. tenta,' templa') is clearly preferable to templa,' which Weber reads, comparing Lucr. 2. 28, where Lachmann, as here, changes the templa' of the MSS. into 'tecta.' 80 Nam perhibent olim crudeli peste coactam 77. Androgeoneae caedis, Andro- text. The ༡༠ Manil. 5. 548 Virginis et vivae rapitur sine funere funus.' Nec,' the old form of the negative, as in the phrases res nec mancipi,' fur nec manifestus,' etc. It is a kind of oxymoron-as we might say, living corpses.' Lucr. I. 92 has casta inceste,' other instances are innuptae nuptiae,' 'mentes dementes,' quoted by Cicero ; he himself in Phil. I. 2 uses insepulta sepultura ' of Caesar's burial. But the genius of the Latin language was not as well fitted for this mode of expression as the Greek. Funditus, atque imis exarsit tota medullis. 95 100 Nam velut in summo quatientem brachia Tauro 105 about the latter as to require the change. 'Her whole frame caught the fire of love, but it burned fiercest in her heart' ('medullis'). Note the alliteration with 'c,' as in v. 53, 101, and 350. 94. It is better with Lachmann to join this line with the following than with the preceding one, as immiti corde' applied to Ariadne would not be easy to explain. Spoken of Cupid it may be illustrated by Eur. Hipp. 1274 Ἔρως ᾧ μαινομένα κραδίᾳ πτανὸς ἐφορμάσῃ, according to one interpretation of the passage. 95. Cp. 66 (68). 18 Non est dea nescia nostri, quae dulcem curis miscet amaritiem.' Muretus quotes the pretty expression of Musaeus, γλυκύπικρον κέντρον ἐρώτων. Doering proposes saeve puer' for 'sancte,' but besides there being no authority for the change, it would be a mere repetition of immiti corde.' For the sentiment, cp. Claudian Nupt. Hon. et Mar. 69 foll. 96. Golgi. A town of Cyprus, in ignorance of which the copyists wrote here 'Colchos.' See 34 (36). 14 Quae sanctum Idalium... Colis quaeque Amathunta quaeque Golgos.' Theocr. 15. 100 (imitated perhaps by Catullus) Δέσποιν ̓ ἃ Γολγώς τε καὶ Ἰδάλιον ἐφίλασας. Idalium, the name of the forest as well as the town near to it. 98. Fluctibus. Waves of trouble or passion, as above, v. 62 Magnis curarum fluctuat undis.' In hospite, sighing for the fairhaired stranger.' Cp. Ov. Fast. I. 417 Hanc cupit, hanc optat, solam suspirat in illam,' or (as Burmann reads) in illâ :' Ib. 6. 490 in illa aestuat:' so M. 9. 725 ⚫ardetque in virgine virgo.' Not unlike is Horace's expression, Od. 1. 17, 19 ‘laborantes in uno.' 100. Quanto MSS., not as in most editions quantum.' Expalluit auri. The Latin poets are often not more precise than the Greek as to the relations of colour. But the gold of the ancients being much alloyed with silver was no doubt of a much paler hue than ours. Cp. 79 (81). 4 Hospes inaurata pallidior statua:' and Ov. M. 11. 110 (of Midas) Tollit humo saxum, saxum quoque palluit auro,' though just above we have fulvum vertatur in aurum.' There is much the same ambiguity about the Greek xλwpós. Ritschel suggests ‘fulvore.' 102. Oppeteret. Only applies to 'mortem.' In classical writers it seems always used of meeting evil. Guarinus conjectured appeteret.' The subjunctive represents the ground of her anxieties, 'to think that Theseus should run the risk.' 103. Non ingrata. The gods heard her prayers for the success of Theseus, though that success was not to inspire gratitude or fidelity in him; hence the nam' of 105: the acceptance of the prayers was shewn by the triumph of Theseus. 104. Suspendit, a happy conjecture, adopted into his text by Orelli: her prayers hung unuttered on her speechless lips,' i. e. she was too anxious and fearful to express them in words, or afraid lest she should disclose her passion to her father. Lachm, reads, with the best MSS., succendit,' which can hardly mean 'pours burning vows.' Haupt has succepit,' which is very common in connection with vows, sacrifices, etc. |