postea fuerant. Inter principia condendi huius operis movisse numen ad indicandam tanti imperii molem traditur Deos: nam, quum omnium sacellorum exaugurationes admitterent aves, in Termini fano non addixere. Id omen auguriumque ita acceptum est; non motam Termini sedem, unumque eum Deorum non evocatum sacratis sibi finibus, firma stabiliaque cuncta portendere." This legend is repeated by Lactantius in the passage, a portion of which was quoted in the introduction to this extract, and also by Servius in his note on Virg. Æ. IX. 448. Dum domus Æneæ Capitoli immobile saxum Livy has preserved another tradition, according to which Juventas as well as Terminus refused to quit his shrine in the Capitol, for in the speech of Camillus (V. 54) we find "Hic Capitolium est, ubi quondam capite humano invento responsum est, eo loco caput rerum summamque imperii fore: hic, quum augurato liberaretur Capitolium, Iuventas Terminusque maximo gaudio patrum nostrorum moveri se non passi." 33. Festus will explain this couplet. "Terminus, quo loco colebatur, super eum foramen patebat in tecto, quod nefas esse putarent, Terminum intra tectum consistere.". The same observation is repeated nearly in the same words in the passages in Lactantius and Servius referred to above. 35. (Post illud). Post illam constantiam, qua in Capitolio constitisti. (G.) 35. Levitas est eius, qui facile sinit se moveri, facile cedit aliis. (G.) 41. (Laurentes agros.) See note on Tibull. II. v. 41. p. 204. and Heyne Excursus III on Æn. VII. 42. (Dardanio duci.) Eneas. 43. (Fibris.) See note on Tibull. II. i. 26. p. 183. 43. 44. Here was the ancient boundary of the Roman territory, according to Strabo V. iii. § 2. "Between the fifth and sixth milestones from Rome there is a place called Phestoi (poro.) They point this out as having been the boundary of the Roman territory in the time of Romulus. Both there and in several other places which are considered boundaries, the priests to this day perform the sacrifice which they call Ambarvalia." OVID. FASTI. IV. 901. INTRODUCTION. THE festival of the Robigalia was celebrated on VII Kal. Mai. (25th April,) in order to propitiate the deity Robigus or Rubigus, to whose influence the mildew or smut in corn was attributed. We find Robigo addressed also as a female, but this word seems to mean properly the disease itself, while Robigus is the power which causes it, unless indeed we suppose Robigus and Robigo to have been a married pair according to the fashion of the Italian deities. The term is thus explained by Servius in his note on Virg. G. I. 151. 66 Mox et frumentis labor additus, ut mala culmos .......... Robigo autem genus est vitii, quo culmi pereunt, quod a rusticanis calamitas dicitur. Hoc autem genus vitii ex nebula nasci solet, cum nigrescunt et consumuntur frumenta. Inde et Robigus deus et sacra eius septimo Kalendas Maias Robigalia appellantur.' Varro in his treatise de Re Rustica I. 1. includes Robigus among the twelve Dii Consentes who were worshipped by the husbandman. The passage is so important for the illustration of the old Latin rural superstitions that it deserves to be quoted. "Et quoniam [ut aiunt] Dei facientes adiuvant, prius invocabo eos; nec, ut Homerus et Ennius, Musas, sed XII. Deos Consentis: neque tamen eos urbanos, quorum imagines ad forum auratæ stant, sex mares, et feminæ totidem, sed illos XII. deos, qui maxime agricolarum duces sunt. Primum, qui omnes fructus agriculturæ cœlo et terra continent, Iovem, et Tellurem, itaque quod ii parentes magni dicuntur, Iupiter, pater appellatur, Tellus, terra mater. Secundo, Solem et Lunam, quorum tempora observantur, cum quædam seruntur et conduntur. Tertio Cererem et Liberum, quod horum fructus maxime necessarii ad victum. Ab his enim cibus et potio venit fundo. Quarto Robigum ac Floram, quibus propitiis, neque robigo frumenta atque arbores corrumpit, neque non tempestive florent. Itaque publica Robigo feriæ Robigalia; Floræ ludi Floralia instituti. Item adveneror Minervam et Venerem quarum unius procuratio oliveti alterius hortorum; quo nomine rustica Vinalia instituta. Nec non etiam precor Lympham, ac Bonum Eventum, quoniam sine aqua omnis arida ac misera agricultura, sine successu ac bono eventu, frustratio est, non cultura." The same author in his treatise, De Lingua Latina, Lib. VI. 3. "Robigalia dicta a Robigo. Secundum segetes huic Deo sacrificatur, ne robigo occupet segetes." We shall conclude this introduction with a passage from Plin. H. N. XVIII. 29, which bears directly upon this and the extract on the Floralia, p. 98. "Rudis fuit priscorum vita, atque sine literis: non minus tamen ingeniosam fuisse in illis observationem apparebit, quam nunc esse rationem. Tria namque tempora fructibus metuebant, propter quod instituerunt ferias, diesque festos: Rubigalia, Floralia, Vinalia. Rubigalia Numa constituit anno regni sui XI. quæ nunc aguntur ad VII. Kalendas Maii, quoniam tunc fere segetes rubigo occupat. Hoc tempus Varro determinat Sole Tauri partem decimam obtinente, sicut tunc ferebat ratio. Sed vera causa est, quod post dies undeviginti ab æquinoctio verno, per id quatriduum, varia gentium observatione in IV. Kalendas Maii, Canis occidit, sidus et per se vehemens, et cui præoccidere Caniculam necesse sit. Itaque iidem Floralia IV. Kalendas eiusdem instituerunt, urbis anno DXVI. ex oraculis Sibyllæ, ut omnia bene deflorescerent. Vinalia priora, quæ ante hos dies sunt IX. Kalendas Maii degustandis vinis instituta, nihil ad fruges attinent. Extra has causas sunt Vinalia altera quæ aguntur ad XIII. Kalendas Septembris." 2. According to Ovid, the commencement of Spring is on the V. Id. Feb. En etiam, si quis Borean horrere solebat, Quintus ab æquoreis nitidum iubar extulit undis Lucifer, et primi tempora veris eunt. Fast. II. 147. and in the line before us the VII. Kal. Mai. is fixed upon as the middle point. On the other hand, Columella XI. ii. 15 and 36. "VII. Idus Feb. Callisto sidus occidit; Favonii spirare incipiunt. XI. Kal. Maias ver bipartitur, pluvia, et nonnunquam grando." 3. (Pecudem... Athamantidos Helles.) The constellation Aries; the golden fleeced ram, which bore away Phrixus and Helle, the children of Athamas king of Thebes, when they fled from the persecution of their step-mother Ino. We have the whole story in Ov. Fasti. III. 851 seqq. 4. (Signaque, &c.) i. e. "The rains show themselves;" the showers descend; or, "the showers give indications of the seasons," which is better. So Fast. I. 315. Institerint Nonæ: missi tibi nubibus atris 4. (Exoriturque canis.) Ovid has made a blunder here; the Dog sets at this season; so Columella XI. ii. 37. "Pridie Kalendas Maias Canis se vespere celat: tempestatem significat." One good MS. indeed has "occidit atque Canis;" but this is probably a correction. The conjectural emendations of different critics are given in the various readings. 5. (Nomento.) Nomentum (Lamentana Vecchia) was built by a colony from Alba, in the Sabine territory, not far from the river Allia. Hi tibi Nomentum, et Gabios, urbemque Fidenam, Hi Collatinas imponent montibus arces. Virg. Æ. VI. 773. It is frequently mentioned by Martial, who possessed an estate in the neighbourhood. e. g. VI. xliii. Me Nomentani confirmant otia ruris, See also I. lxxxv. X. xliv. XII. lvii. The road which led to this town from Rome, passed through the Porta Viminalis, and was called the Via Nomentana; it afterwards joined the Via Salaria. 6. (Candida pompa,) "a procession in pure white raiment." See note on 16 of preceding extract. 7. (Antiquæ.) The worship of this deity was established, according to Pliny, by Numa. See Introduction. 8. (Exta canis.) Columella mentions the sacrifice of the dog, (a sucking puppy,) but not the sheep. X. 342. Hinc mala Rubigo virideis ne torreat herbas, R 10. The officiating priest, it appears, was the Flamen Quirinalis. 11. (Aspera,) “rough,” and so "Scabras manus" below line 20. So also Virgil, when applying this word to the rust of iron, G. I. 495. Exesa inveniet scabra robigine pila. 12. (Lave,) i. e. smooth, not roughened by scabra, aspera robigo. 18. (Adusta.) Uro, aduro, &c., are constantly applied to the blighting influence of cold. Thus Cic. Tusc. II. 17. "Pernoctant venatores in nive, in montibus uri se patiuntur," and Virg. G. I. 92. Ne tenues pluviæ, rapidive potentia solis and in like manner Liv. XXI. 32, "pecora jumentaque torrida frigore." 19. (Titan,) the Sun. See note on Hyperion, p. 334, 335. 23. (Contere) expresses well the slow continued action by which rust wears away and consumes the substance of iron. Carpere also implies a gradual process. 27. (Sarcula.) From the manner in which the sarculus or sarculum is spoken of, it must have resembled very closely a common hoe. The bidens describes itself, and must have been the same with our drag. 28. Situs, from sino, is the crust which forms upon anything which is left untouched or neglected. Hence it is put for filth or dirt in general, for the hard surface of land left fallow, for rust, and metaphorically for the effect of sloth upon the mind. e. g. Ov. Amor. I. viii. 51. Æra nitent usu, vestis bona quærit haberi, Virg. G. I. 72. Et segnem patiere situ durescere campum. Ov. Trist. V. xii. 1. Scribis, ut oblectem studio lacrymabile tempus |