carrying torches in their hands. The feast is renewed, and the Salii, with their temples wreathed with poplar, sing around the blazing altars in praise of the exploits and labors of Hercules.

280. Devexo Olympo: abl. abs. The celestial sphere is viewed as rotating daily from east to west on an axis passing through the poles, thus presenting in alternate succession a diurnal and a nocturnal hemisphere. At the approach of evening, the diurnal hemisphere (here expressed by Olympo) is sinking (devexo) below the horizon.

281. primusque and at their head. Cf. v. 269.

282. pellibus cincti: with skins wrapped about their loins, as afterwards the priests of Pan at the Lupercalia. flammas: torches. 283. mensae grata secundae dona does not, as the words might seem to imply, refer to the dessert, or second course, following the principal meal; but to a second sacrifice and banquet held late in the day. Servius says that both a morning and an evening sacrifice were offered to Hercules.

284. Platters bearing the steaming entrails (exta) taken from the victims were placed on the altars. Cf. passages cited in foot-note.

285. Salii: the Salii at Rome were an order of priests, twelve in number, instituted according to popular tradition by Numa, and devoted to the service of Mars. At the annual festival of the god in March, they carried in procession the twelve sacred shields (ancilia) which were preserved in the temple of Mars. As they went, they chanted songs in honor of the god and executed certain rhythmic movements, which gave them the name of Salii (SAL-, leap), the leaping or dancing priests (see cut annexed to note on v. 664). At Tibur moreover, and perhaps at Rome, there seem to have been Salii of Hercules also, whose rites, as the present passage shows, were similar to those performed by the Salii of Mars. They took no part in the sacrifice proper, but chanted hymns, to the accompaniment of rhythmic movements, in honor of Hercules. ad cantus expresses the purpose of adsunt.

288-9. The first exploit of Hercules was the strangling of the serpents sent by Juno to destroy him in his cradle.

288. prima, in his infancy, agrees of course with monstra, but is best translated adverbially. novercae: Hercules was the son of Jupiter by Alcmene; novercae is therefore here used purposely to show that jealousy was the inspiring motive of Juno's persecutions.

289. geminosque: -que is here explicative as in v. 220, and geminos anguis merely interprets monstra.

290. bello is to be construed with egregias rather than with disiecerit; cf. passage cited in foot-note.

291. Troiam: Laomedon, king of Troy, had promised to give Hercules the horses of the sun if he would rescue Hesione, the king's daughter, from a sea monster by whom she was to be devoured. When the hero had performed this service, Laomedon withheld the stipulated reward. In punishment for his perfidy Hercules slew Laomedon and laid Troy in ruins. Oechaliam : Eurytus, king of Oechalia in Euboea, had offered to give his daughter Iole in marriage to the man who should successfully compete with him in a trial of skill with the bow. Hercules accepted the challenge and came off victor, but Eurytus refused to fulfill his promise. In revenge Hercules destroyed Oechalia and killed Eurytus

291-2. The reference is to the twelve labors imposed on Hercules by Eurystheus, king of Mycenae, at the instigation of Juno. On the successful accomplishment of these labors depended Hercules' title to immortality. The story of the stratagem by which Juno secured to Eurystheus the sovereignty which had been intended for Hercules is told in II. XIX. 95-133.

292. Note the 'synizesis' in Eurystheo. Pronounce in three syllables: Eu-ry-sthyo. fatis Iunonis: the fates had decreed that the child who should be born on a certain day should rule over the descendants of Perseus. Juno, by delaying the birth of Hercules, procured for Eurystheus, who was born on the appointed day, the sovereignty that had been destined for Hercules. As she had thus by subtlety made the decrees of fate serve her own purpose, they are called fata Iunonis.

293. nubigenas: the centaurs were the offspring of Ixion and a cloud-phantom wearing the shape of Juno. bimembris: i. e., half man and half horse, an epithet applied in poetry to the

centaurs.

294. Hylaeumque Pholumque mactas: these centaurs were slain by Hercules in the celebrated fight between the Centaurs and the Lapithae at the wedding of Pirithoüs. Cf. passage cited in footnote, and see photographs of the metopes of the Parthenon. Cresia prodigia, plural of 'majesty,' the wild bull which ravaged Crete.

According to the common story, however, Hercules captured this monster and brought him alive to Eurystheus. mactas: thou art the slayer, etc. The present tense implies that the glory of the exploit still lives and the memory of it is loyally cherished by the worshipers of the hero. Note the inspiring effect of the change

from the narrative form to the form of direct address.

295. Nemeae: the killing of the lion that dwelt in a rocky cavern in the valley of Nemea in Argolis and ravaged the neighboring country, was the first of the twelve labors of Hercules.

296. The last of the labors of Hercules consisted in bringing away the three-headed dog Cerberus, who guarded the entrance to the lower world (ianitor Orci). Cf. passage cited in foot-note.

298. ullae facies . . . Typhoeus: Typhoeus, a giant, son of Earth and Tartarus, was vanquished by Jupiter with the aid of Hercules and buried according to some accounts under Aetna, but according to the story which Vergil follows under Inarime (mod. Ischia), off the coast of Campania. See IX. 716: Inarime Iovis imperiis imposta Typhoeo. It is usual with commentators to refer ullae facies to monsters seen by Hercules when he visited Tartarus to bring away Cerberus, and to include Typhoeus among them. But this interpretation is obviously inconsistent with arduus arma tenens and also with IX. 716 quoted above. We must suppose the reference in non terruit ipse Typhoeus to be to the undaunted courage with which Hercules came to the support of Jupiter in his conflict with the giant in the upper world.

299. arduus: translate adverbially with tenens. For other examples of an adjective associated in this way with a participle, see passages cited in foot-note. rationis egentem: without resource.

300. Lernaeus anguis: it was one of the labors of Hercules to kill the hydra of Lake Lerna in Argolis, a monster with seven heads. As fast as one of these heads was struck off, two others appeared in its place. Hercules, however, non rationis egens, killed the monster by burning off the heads, a method which proved effectual and final.

301. vera Iovis proles: as proved by the exploits just narrated. decus: predicate after addite. Cf. IX. 485 canibus date praeda

Latinis.

302. dexter adi: graciously draw nigh.

306-368. The sacrifice being now ended, all proceed to the city of Pallanteum. On the way Evander relates to Aeneas the history of the country from the earliest times, explains how he had himself come to migrate hither with his Arcadians, and directs the attention of his guest to objects and places of special interest and significance. At length they reach the humble abode of Evander and retire to rest.

307. obsitus aevo: scored (lit., thick-sown) with the marks of age. 310. faciles oculos: shifting glances.

312. monumenta: stories handed down by tradition.

313. Romanae conditor arcis: Evander had built a town (Pallanteum) on the site afterwards occupied by Rome. See vv. 52-4.

315-18. These lines depict the rude sons of nature who, according to tradition, inhabited Latium prior to the advent of Saturn and the dawn of the golden age. They recognized no moral standard (mos) in the conduct of life, nor did they observe the external proprieties (cultus) in dress, food, habitation, etc., which mark the life of civilized communities.

=

316. quis quibus.

318. rami: i. e., what grew on the boughs; as, acorns, berries, etc. asper victu venatus: the hunter's rude fare (lit., the chase rough in fare). Cf. the opposite expression: facilem victu [gentem], I. 445.

320. It was customary with the later Roman poets to identify the Roman divinities with the corresponding Greek divinities, and to ascribe to the former the attributes and personal experiences assigned to the latter in the Greek mythology. Accordingly, Vergil here identifies Saturn with the Greek god Cronos, and applies to Saturn the mythological story of the expulsion of Cronos from Olympus by Zeus. The combination of this Greek mythological story with the Italian tradition of a golden age presided over by Saturn seems a little incongruous.

322-3. Latium · - latuisset. According to Servius, Varro also assumed an etymological connection between the geographical name Latium and the verb lateo, explaining it by pointing out that Italy lies hidden between the heights of the Alps and the Apennines (quod latet Italia inter praecipitia Alpium et Apennini). A sounder etymology connects Latium with Greek πλarús, ‘broad,' and English flat, thus marking it as the flat or level country in distinction from the mountains by which it is surrounded.

326. decolor is here used in contrast with aurea, v. 324. The ages of baser metal, i. e., of bronze and iron, which succeeded the golden age, have lost the original lustre and seem tarnished in comparison.

329. posuit is here equivalent to deposuit, laid aside, i. e., changed. In VII. 63, nomen posuisse occurs in the sense of 'give a name to.' saepius: i. e., the name was changed from Saturnia first into Latium and afterwards into Ausonia (v. 328), Hesperia (I. 530), Oenotria (I. 532), Italia (I. 533), etc.

330. -que and among them.

331-2. Itali native Italians.

- diximus: Evander here identifies himself with the

333. Me pulsum patria: according to Servius, Evander had been forced to leave Arcadia because, at the instigation of his mother, he had killed his father. pelagi extrema: to the Greeks of the heroic age, Italy seemed to be at the end of the world.

336. Carmentis: Nicostrǎte, the mother of Evander, owing to her prophetic powers, came to be identified with Carmentis (or Carmenta), one of the Camenae. The Camenae were prophetic nymphs worshiped from early times in Italy (cf. passage cited in foot-note). auctor sc. oraculorum.

337-8. et aram et portam: the prophetic nymph Carmentis, with whom the mother of Evander is here identified, had in historical times an altar near the Carmental Gate, at the foot of the southwestern slope of the Capitoline hill; also a temple, founded by Roman matrons, and a special priest (flamen Carmentalis). The Carmentalia, a festival celebrated in her honor in January, was held in high esteem by the Roman matrons. Carmentalem: this gate was afterwards called scelerata in allusion to the tragic fate of the three hundred and six Fabii who, in 479 B. C., left Rome by it to carry on war with the Veientes and never returned. Cf. passage

cited in foot-note.

341. Aeneadas refers, of course, especially to the Romans. Pallanteum: see v. 54. magnos and nobile are attributive adjectives here, not predicate.

342-3. rettulit: reëstablished, reconstituted, restored, the grove having already served the purpose of an asylum in Aeneas's time. This is the interpretation of Gossrau, who refers to the passage cited in the foot-note. The other interpretations, of which there are