NOTES.

PHEDRUS.

Little is known with accuracy of the life of Phædrus. He was probably a Thracian slave in the household of Augustus, was afterwards manumitted, and became the object of the hatred and persecution of Sejanus, the minister of Tiberius. He seems to have written in the reign of Claudius (A.D. 41–54). His fables are mere translations from the Greek.

NOTE. The metre of all these fables is the Iambic Trimeter or Senarius, (§ 82, iii.), the ictus of each double foot being marked with an accent. In the first verse of the first fable, fămẽ còā- is the first measure, consisting of two iambs, with the ictus upon the long syllable of the first; e in fame is long by the analogy of the fifth declension: -ctă vūlpēs āl- is the second, consisting of an iambus and a spondee. A spondee cannot properly stand in any but the odd feet; but Phædrus, like the comic writers, allows himself greater liberties. The third measure is t'in viněā, a spondee followed by an iambus.

FABLE I (BOOK IV. 3).

1. Fame, ablative of cause (§ 54, 1.).—coacta, nom. agreeing with vulpes (§ 47.).—vineā, § 56, 1. 1; the vines in Italy were trained upon trees, and festooned from one to another.

2. appetebat: § 27, п. 2; it agrees with vulpes by § 49. 3. Quam, § 48, 1. and IV.; § 52, 1. —ut, § 64, IV. end. —discedens, § 72, 1. Notice that the relative here implies a conjunction and a pronoun, and that the participle discedens may in English best change constructions with ait; "but when he could not reach it,

he departed, saying,"

The third foot in this verse, nōn pătă-, is

a dactyl, which in iambic metre has the ictus on the second syllable.

5. qui and quæ, § 48, m. first remark; qui is subject of elevant, while its antecedent (ii) is subject of debebunt; quæ is object of facere, and its antecedent (ea), of elevant; facere depends upon possunt.

6. debebunt: we should say ought, but the Latin expresses the relation of future time more precisely than the English idiom requires. adscribere, § 58, IV. — sibi, § 19, 11. end.

FABLE II (IV. 9).

1. simul ac: as soon as (§ 43, 9). - The position of callidus makes it emphatic, and gives it some such force as, if he is shrewd. 2. alterius: the other, i.e., the person nearest him; another would be alius. The first foot is an anapæst, rěpĕrī.

3. decidisset, § 62, 1. end. — inscia, § 6, 4; § 47, VI., without knowing it.

4. altiore, § 17, V. 1.

6. esset, § 67, 1.

7. copiosus, § 44,

9. possit, § 65, 1.

1.

an: whether.

IV. 3. —illa sc. dixit.

10. barbatus, § 44, IV. 4. - vulpecula, § 44, 1. 2.

11. puteo, § 54, VI.

- cornibus, § 54, 1.; abl. of means. 12. vado, § 55, III. 5, end: shallow water, pool.

1. venerant, § 49, 1.

FABLE III (I. 1).

2. superior: above. — compulsi, § 47, 1. — stabat, § 27, ñ. 1. 3. fauce improba, savage jaw, belongs with incitatus. (§ 14, 3). 4. jurgii, § 50, III. -intulit: brought up.

6. bibenti, § 72, 1: as I am drinking.—laniger, § 44, vI. ; 10, 8. The descriptive adjective is used like barbatus, in the last fable, for the noun, § 47, III. - timens, fearing at the time, not timid as a characteristic.

7. Qui: how. - quod, § 52, 1. first note: what you complain about.

*This is an abbreviation for scilicet (scire licet), meaning understand.

8. a and ad, § 42, IV. decurrit, runs down.-ad meos haustus: to my draughts, i.e. for me to drink.

9. viribus=vi: force.

10. menses, § 55, 1. 1: six months ago.—mihi, § 51, II. —male belongs with dixisti: cursed.

11. equidem: emphasizes the first person, but I.

13. correptum (sc. eum) lacerat: seizes him and tears him to pieces (§ 72, 1).

15. fictis causis, § 72, 3: by making up reasons.

FABLE IV (IV. 8).

1. mordaciorem, § 44, v. 3: one that bites harder than himself. -improbo: malicious.

2. sentiat, § 68, I.

4. quā, after si, ne, etc.=aliquæ, § 21, III. end.―cibi belongs with res, § 50, II.: any thing of food, i.e. any food.

tu.

5. contra is used as an adverb, on the other hand (§ 56, 11. end). 6. Quid, § 52, IV. : in respect to what why? — stulta, sc. captas (from capio), § 36, I.: try eagerly; catch at. 7. quæ, first person, subj. of assuevi, relating to me.

-

4. corcodilis, § 56, IV.; this form is used because the o in crocodilis is short. - rapiantur, § 64, I. traditum est, § 70; the subject is canes . . flumine: it is related that, etc.

...

6. quam libet: as much as you please. — otio, § 54, II. first

4. onere, abl. of cause. - celsa cervice eminet: tosses up his head; literally, towers with lofty neck, abl. of specification. 7. advolant, § 27, I. second paragraph.

10. The second foot, -tus igi-, is a tribrach.

11. me is subject of contemptum (esse), depending upon gaudeo( § 70, III).

14. periclo depends upon obnoxiæ, § 51, 1.

FABLE VII (V. 3).

2. quam, obj. of opprimere. — sibi duxit: fetched himself.

4. tibi: for or in regard to yourself; not to.

5. addideris, § 63, II.

6. in gratiam: to good terms.

7. lædendi, § 73, II.

8. te, obj. of necare. generis, § 50, 1. 2.

animal, § 46.

9. bibere depends upon delectaris: in drinking. 10. optem, § 60, 2. —vel: even.

11. The third foot is a dactyl, tūm věnĭ-.
12. nocens, used as an adjective: mischievous.
13. pœna, § 54, IV.

6. fugere depends upon suadebat; the regular construction would be, ut fugeret.

7. lentus: stolidly. - num, § 71 and 1.

8. impositurum, sc. esse.

9. mea, § 50, Iv. 4, first note.

binas, § 18, II. 2.

10. cui, § 51, III.-portem, § 61, 3. -meas: mine and no

more.

FABLE X (I. 8).

1. pretium: pay. —meriti, § 47, rv. 1.

3. Begin with deinde: in the next place, § 41, II. 4. — jam non, § 41, II. 2.

5. singulos: one after another.

7. jurejurando, § 14, II. 2.

8. colli longitudinem; a graphic expression for longum collum.

10. quo refers to the act performed by the crane. from pango: which had been agreed upon.

pactum,