2. Ut hinc. Most MSS. read ut hic; three of the best ut it. The present reading is the conjecture of Heinsius.
3, 4. The Elegiac measure which is employed in this poem, was usually appropriated to subjects which had not much dignity in them. Such had been his preceding compositions in this species of verse.
5. Alluding to his Amores, Ars Amandi, etc.—Faciles, ready, compliant.
6. When my early youth sported in numbers adapted to it.
7, 8. I now sing the festivals, etc. Would any one think that idle love-verses would have led the way to such a theme?
9, 10. Militia, dextra, munere, all words relating to military service. See Hor. Car. iv. l.—Ferimus, most MSS. read gerimus.—Vacat. Seven have caret.
14. Habilis, fit. Any one can be a soldier.
16. Nomina, i. e. deeds of name.—Titulos, is employed in the same manner.
17, 18. He continues the adulatory style in which he at first addressed him.
19. The poet now begins an inquiry into the origin of the name of the second month.—Februum: Sabinis purgamentum et in sacris nostris verbum. Varro de L. L. V.—Piamina, the [Greek: katharmoi] of the Greeks, whatever was used in purification, and in removing the [Greek: agos], or piacular guilt. Five MSS. read piacula, which signifies the same thing.
20. Scil. the word is still frequently used in this sense.
21. Rege, the Rex Sacrorum.—Flamine, the Flamen Dialis.—Lanas. As Clemens Alexandrinus enumerates the [Greek: eria pyrrha] among the articles used by the Gentiles in purification Neapolis conjectures that this wool was red.
23. Lictor, of the Flamen Dialis.—Sertis, one MS. cernis, three ternis, one acernis. Heinsius proposes tersis.—Domibus, the house of the Flamen.
24. The Mola Salsa.
25. Arbore pura, the pine, as making pure.
27. Flaminicam, the wife of the Flamen Dialis. Some MSS. read Flaminiam or Flamineam.
30. Intonsos, i.e. priscos, antiquos. Intonsus Numa, below V. 264. Intonsus Cato. Hor. Car. II. 15. There were no barbers at Rome, till A.U.C. 454.
31. See below, v. 267. et seq.
33. See below, v. 433, et seq.—Tempora pura, because the guilt and evil had been removed.
37. In the mode usual in his time, Ovid assigns a Grecian origin to this opinion. It was however common to Greece, Italy, and the East, and was a part of the Law of Moses. Homer makes mention of it more than once. Thus when Ulysses had slain the suitors, he says to Euryclea, [Greek: Oide theeion graeu kakon akos, oise de moi pur, Ophra theeioso megaron]. According to the legend, (See Mythology, p. 94.) Apollo himself required purification for having slain the Python.
39. Actoriden, Menoetius the father of Patroclus who had slain by accident Clesonymus or aeanes.—Pelea. Telamon and Peleus slew their brother Phocus. Peleus fled to Thessaly to Actor, or to Eurytion, the son of Actor, by whom he was purified, and having had the misfortune to kill his benefactor, he was purified by Acastus. The poet evidently makes a mistake here. See Mythology, pp. 279 and 414.
41. Aegeus received Medea when she fled after the murder of her children. —Credulus, too easily believing.—Phasida, Colchian. See Mythology, 279, 352.
43. Amphiaraïdes. Alemaeon, the son of Amphiaraus, put his mother Eriphyle to death. Mythology, p. 434.—Naupactoo scil. aetolian. Naupactus is in aetolia, but not near the Achelous.
45. Faciles, credulous.
47-54. This passage is hard to understand. If in the year of Numa Pompilius, which is the one spoken of, January was the first month, how could February be the last? Perhaps, though this is at variance with v. 48, the poet here, as in I. 43, 44, only means that Numa added two months to the Romulian year, in which case February would be the last. See Introd. § 2.—Tu quoque, etc. The intercalation was made after the Terminalia, that is, the 23d of February.—Postmodo, etc. this regulation of the Decemvirs, is spoken of no where else.—Tempora continuasse. "Effecisse ut hi duo menses, nullo interposito, se exciperent, cum antea distarent longo spatio decem ipsis mensibus interjectis," Gierig. As the year is a circle, must not the two ends have joined?
55. The poet here catches at the opportunity of praising Tiberius. The temple of Juno Sospita, near that of the Mother of the Gods on the Palatine hill, had been dedicated on the Kalends of February, but was now fallen.
62. This is going the utmost length of flattery.
66. Man. in stat. Keep guard. A military phrase.
67. Romulus opened the Asylum on the Kalends of February, that is, on the day of his year corresponding thereto.
69. Penetrale Numae. The temple of Vesta, in the Atrium of which, called the Regia, Numa resided.
70. The Capitolium and the Arx were two parts of the same hill. Liv. III. 18, V. 47.
74. Purpureis, bright. This is a usual sense of this word.
76. The cosmic setting of Lyra.
77. The acronych setting of Leo.
79. On the third of February, the Dolphin sets heliacally.—Caelatum, set or embossed.
81. Alluding to the aid which the Dolphin gave Neptune in his courtship of Amphitrite.
82. This story of Arion is told by Herodotus, I. 23.
84. Et seq. comparing him to Orpheus.
91. Cynthia. Diana, the moon.
101, 102. An exclamation of the poet.
107. A long trailing robe of the richest purple, the dibaphe.
109, 110. This distich was justly suspected by Heinsius. There is a corruption in it, which it is now, perhaps, impossible to cure. Burmann understands by penna, an arrow; others think it denotes a hard feather which the swan gets when old.—Trajectus. Four MSS. read Threïcius.
112. Describing the effect of his plunge into the sea.
115. Pretium vehendi, Scil. carmen.
119. See Hom. Il. II. 488. Virg. Geor. II. 42. aen, vi. 625.—Quo. scil. pectore.
121. Alterno carmine in hexameters et pentameters; the versibus impariter junctis of Horace, A. P. 75. The common reading is pectine.– Sacras Nonas, on account of the honours decreed to Augustus.
126. Heroi pedis. Hexameters.
127. On the nones of February, A.U.C. 752, Valerius Messala addressed Augustus in the senate-house in these words, Senatus te consentiens cum Pop. Rom. consulutat Patrem Patriae. Sact. Aug. 58.
128. Eques. Ovid was of the equestrian order.
132. The [Greek: pataer andron te theon te] of Homer, the Divum pater atque hominum rex of Virgil.
134. Comparing the paltry defences erected by the first founder of Rome, with the strength of the city under its second founder, as Augustus was styled.
135, 136. See Livy, I. Romulus was only formidable to the little states around his town; Augustus reduced both the East and the West under the sway of Rome.
139. The rape of the Sabines is opposed to the laws against adultery, etc. of Augustus.—Duce se, by his own example.
140. The Asylum opposed to the vigorous administration of justice by Augustus.
142. The favourite title of Augustus and of Tiberius was Princeps. scil. Senatus; [Greek: deopotaes men ton doulon, autokrator de ton stratioton, ton de dae loipon prokritus] (Princeps) [Greek: eimi], was a usual saying of Tiberius.
143. There may be an allusion here to Augustus' forgiveness of Cinna and others.
144. Mars and Julius Caesar.
145. The cosmic rising of Aquarius.—Puer. Idaeus, Ganymedes, son of Tros, king of Troy, fabled in aftertimes to have been made this constellation.
146. Liquidas, means clear and not liquid.—Nectare, as being cupbearer of the gods.
149. Spring began on the 9th of February, the V. Idus.
153. On the III. Idus Arctophylax, or Bootes, rises acronychally.
155-192. The poet had already told this tale. Met. II, 401-530. See also Mythology, p. 387.
193. The Faunalia were celebrated on the Ides. The island in the Tiber contained the temple of Faunus, as well as those of Aesculapius and Jupiter. It was built by the Aediles with the money arising from fines, and dedicated A.U.C. 509. There was another Faunalia on the nones of December. Hor. Car. III. 18. For Faunus, see Mythology, p. 477.
195. See Niebuhr's Roman History, II. 192-195, and 200-203. It is his opinion that the Fabian Creus, disgusted with the obstinate refusal of their order to grant the just claims of the Plebeians, retired with their clients, and a part of the Plebeians, to the number of 4,500, as related by Dionysius, and founded a colony on the banks of the Cremera, in Etruria. They left Rome on the Ides of February, A.U.C. 275, and were cut off by the Tuscans on the 18th of the following Quinctilis, the very day on which the defeat was sustained at the Allia some years afterwards. The poet has evidently fallen into a great error here.
196. The number of the Fabii is always given as being 306.
198. Arma professa, which they had promised.
199. Castris. From the context, this must have been the abodes of the family at Rome. He may, perhaps, mean their settlement on the Cremera, v. 207.
201. They went out at the Carmental gate. The Roman gates, as has been already observed, were double. People went out by one, and came in by the other. Ever after this day, no one went through the gate by which the Fabii had passed. The way was named Via Scelerata or Infelix.—Jano, that is, probably, simply the gate through which they passed.
203, 204. These lines are wanting in some of the best MSS. Gierig, though unsatisfied with them, thinks they are necessary to the narration. It does not seem so to me. We have only to understand the poet thus: they went out, etc. v. 199, the way by which they went is next etc. v. 201, to have a very good sense.
206. Hibernis, produced by the melting of the snow. It was now the spring. See note on v. 390.
214. Parant, scil. the Tuscans.
225, 226. The poet, as if present, calls out to them.—Simplex, incautious, unsuspicious of guile.
237. Herculeae gentis. It was the tradition of the Fabian family that they derived their origin from Hercules, by a daughter of Evander.
239. Niebuhr ut supra, shews that the Fabius who remained at Rome, must have been then a grown man. He thinks the cause of his staying behind was his differing in politics from the rest of the family.
241. The celebrated Fabius Maximas Cunctator, the man who shewed how to vanquish Hannibal.
243. The day after the Ides these three signs, which lie close together, rise acronychally.
247. The inferior gods offered sacrifices to the superior. See below, iv. 423. aeschyl. Prom. 526, et seq.
254. Eam, the tree for the fruit.
255. Figs ripen very fast (Pliny, xv. 19,) so that this is not badly invented.
260. Tenuit is used here in a double sense.
263. Lactens, that is, full of juice. It was peculiarly used of the fig.
264. De nullo, etc. It was an opinion of the ancients, that for sixty days before the figs ripened, the ravens were affected by a looseness of bowels, which obliged them to abstain from every thing humid. Pliny, X. 12. aelian. V. Il. II. 5.
267. The Lupercalia were celebrated on the 15th February, the xv. Kal. Mart. The poet here, according to the custom of the Latin poets, confounds the ancient Italian deity, Faunus, with the Pan of the Arcadians. On these occasions, a theory or a legend was always devised to explain the manner in which the worship had been introduced. For Pan, see Mythology, p. 198.
272. He most haunts the Arcadian mountains, or, he is most worshiped there.
273. Pholoë, the mountain of that name.
274. This is an error, the Ladom falls into the Alpheus.
277. Equarum. Several MSS. read aquarum, which reading Burmann defends, as Pan is called [Greek: aktios] by Theocritus. Idyll. V. 14.
278. Instead of Pan ovium custos.
280. That is, there was no town there at the time.
281. The Arcadians were always regarded as of the Pelasgian race.
282. The Flamen Dialis always bore a part in the Lupercalia.
285. The first reason; they imitated the god himself.
289. The second; they commemorated the ancient mode of life in Arcadia. It was said that Jupiter was born in this country. Callim. H. I.
290. See above, I. 469.
291. Feris. One MS. reads ferae; another fere; another et fere.– Usus, occupations.
292. Erat. One MS. reads erant, which is adopted by Heinsius, Burmann and Gierig.
299. Sub Jove, same as sub dio, in the open air.
301. Detecti, scil. the naked Luperci.
302. Opes, that is, the want of wealth.
303. The third reason for the nudity of the Luperci.—Faunus, scil. Pan.
305. Dominae, Omphale, queen of Lydia, to whom Hercules was sold by Mercury.
310. Aurato sinu. Her robe had threads of gold woven into it, or was embroidered.
311. Umbracula, the skiadia, the modern umbrella—Rapidos. This is the reading of eleven MSS. the rest have tepidos, which is very tame. Rapidos well expresses the consuming power of fire.
313. Tenebat, scil. Omphale, thus subit, v. 315. Some MSS. read tenebant.
314. Hesperus is beautifully styled roscidus, as the dews of evening accompany his appearance in the summer-season. The poet gives him a dark-coloured horse, as the sky is then becoming every moment darker; for the opposite reason, a white horse is given to Lucifer. "Hesperus, that led The starry host, rode brightest." Milton.
321. Vincla, either the wrists or the arm-holes of the tunic, which would appear to have had running-strings in them.
324. Scindebant. Seven MSS. read stringebant.
326. Tela minora, the arrows opposed to the club.
329. Previous to a sacrifice, à Venere abstinebant.—Pia sacra, like pia tura, pium far.
337. Captata, felt by groping, One MS. reads tractata.
359. A fourth reason for this custom.—Peregrinis causas Latinas. Three MSS. read peregrinae; two read causam. Perhaps the best reading would be peregrinis causam Latinam.
360. Suo pulvere, in his own common (i.e. Italian) course.
361. Scil. at the Lupercalia.
363. Transsuta, Others read transfixa, transita, or trajecta.
367, 368. These lines are wanting in three MSS. and are probably spurious.—Caestibus. Six MSS. read vectibus, which Heinius prefers, as the caestus was unknown to the old Romans, and pitching bar(vectis) was a common exercise of the Roman soldiery. The poets, however, troubled themselves little about minutiae of this kind. Some MMS. have vestibus.
375-378. Fabius, says the legend, was over the comrades of Remus, and Quinctilius over those of Romulus; and those under them were named from them. The truth is, the Fabian family were of the Sabine, the Quinctilian, of the Roman part of the nation.
380. Quod bene cessit. Several of the best MSS. read gessit. Some qui lene gesset.
381. He now proceeds to inquire into the origin of the names Lupercal and Lupercalia, and takes this occasion of relating the early history of the founders of Rome.
383. Ilia. Most MSS. read Silvia.
385. Pueros. The reading of most MSS. is parvos. Burmann observes, that the ancients did not use parvos without a substantive for children.
387. Recusantes, unwillingly; refusing as far as they dared. Burmann proposes reluctantes or repugnantes.
389. Albula. This was an ancient name of the Tiber. The Romans, aping the Greeks in this, as in every thing else, deduced the name Tiber, from that of a fabled king.
390. Hibernis. Neapolis would infer from this, that Romulus and Remus were born in the winter. This is pressing poetic language too close; the Latin poets used Hiems, and its kindred adjectives, as the Greeks did [Greek: cheimon], and the terms derived from it. The meaning is, the river was swoln by the rains which had lately fallen. If we wished regularly to confute Neapolis, we might refer him to v. 413, as the wolf does not bring forth in winter.
391, 392. The different Fora or markets at Rome, were in the valleys between the hills. The Circus Maximus was three stadia and a half long, and one broad. It is probably to express its magnitude that he uses valles in the plural, as the measure imposed no necessity.
393. According to the account given by Dionysius from Fabius Pictor, they came down with the babes from the summit of the Palatine hill, and laid them in the water, which now washed its foot.
394. Et. Two MSS. read an, which Heinsius adopts and justifies by a number of examples, and which is certainly the more elegant.
396. Iste, scil. Romulus.
398. Esse, scil: patrem. This ellipsis well expresses the doubt and hesitation of the speaker.—Suspicor. Three MSS. read suspicer.
400. Praecipiti, critical, dangerous.
401. Si non etc. The ancients believed that a god could not, any more than a man, be in more places than one at the same time. Hence the jest that Diana could not save her temple at Ephesus from the flames, as she was aiding the birth of Alexander the Great, in Macedonia.
408. Scil: the fate of Rome.
409. Appulsus. Eight MSS. read impulsus, which Lenz prefers, as expressing the force with which the water drove them, but they were not in the current of a stream, and the motion of the retiring water must have been very gentle.
412. Rumina, from rumis or ruma, the same as mamma. This must have been the original name; the derivation from Romulus is futile. In the time of Varro, as he informs us, (De L. L. iv.) a new ficus ruminalis was planted in the Comitium, which was standing when the poet wrote. It withered in the reign of Nero. Pliny, xv. 18.
413. Feta, i. e. enixa, as the context shews.
416. Perdere. Two MSS. read prodere.—Cog. manus. scil: the hands of Amulius.
417. She shews her affection for the babes by the motion of her tail.
419. They might be known to be the offspring of Mars by the wolf, his sacred animal, coming to feed them, and by their shewing no signs of fear.
420. Promissi, i. e. destined by nature.
423. Another cause, a Grecian origin, from Mt. Lycaeum, in Arcadia.
424. Faunus, scil. Pan,—Lycaeo. Pausanius, who mentions [Greek: Zeus lukaios], does not give this epithet to Pan. He speaks, however, of his temple on Mt. Lycaeum. In an epigram of Leonidas, we meet [Greek: lagobola Pani Lukaio].
425. Barren women placed themselves in the way of Luperci, as they ran about striking people with their goat-skin thongs, as the contact of the sacred lash was supposed to produce fecundity.—Herbis, etc. the usual modes of obtaining the power of bearing children.
428. Optatum. One MS. which is followed by Heinsius and Gierig, has optati.
433. Instead of increasing the number and strength of his people by their having offspring, he had only brought on himself and them the war with the Sabines.
435, 436. The grove of Juno Lucina. Varro, L. L. iv.
440. Mira, wonderful things.
441. Italidas. Several of the best MSS. read Italias.—Sacer hircus. Four MSS. read caper hirtus, in favour of which, it is urged, that as the caper was a gelt hircus, the wonder was the greater; and v. 445, a caper is sacrificed. I should feel disposed to adopt this reading, which is that of Heinsius, Burmann and Gierig.
443. His name has not come down to us.
444. Etruria was renowned for augury.
449, 450. Two derivations of Lucina; one from lucus, as if she was so named from being worshiped in a grove; a second from lux, as the light proceeded from her. This last might identify Juno Lucina with the moon, and with the Eilcithyia of the Greeks. See Mythology, p. 154.
451. Facilis seems to answer to [Greek: praumaetis], an epithet of Eilcithyia.
453-458. On the day of the Lupercalia, the sun entered Pisces, and winds began to blow, which continued for six days.
461. Dione, Venus. In Homer, this goddess is the daughter of Dione. Ovid confounds them, as he does the Hyperion and Helius (Sol) of Homer.
462. In the Giant-war. See Mythology, p. 238.
471. Others say, the goddess and her son turned themselves into fishes at the approach of Typhon.
473, 474. He confounds, in the usual manner, the Aphrodite of the Greeks, and Venus of the Latins, with the Atergatis or Derceto of the Syrians.– Timidi, scil. Deorum, pious.
475. There was no festival, and nothing remarkable on the XIV. Kal. Mart. The Quirinalia were on the following day. He takes this occasion of relating the end of Romulus and his apotheosis. See Livy, I. 13. It occurred on the Nones of Quinctilis.
477-480. Three derivations of the name Quirinus. The first is the true one. See Mythology, p. 472.
484. Officio. The care and labour of Romulus.
487. This is a line of Ennius. It also occurs, Met. xiv. 814.—The poet, in this account of the Assumption of Romulus, evidently keeps close to the Annals of the old poet.
491. The Palus Caprea, or Capreae, was in the Campus Martius.– Capreae. Some MSS. read Caprae; one Capream, which is adopted by Heinsius, Burmann and Gierig. The Greeks called it [Greek: aigos hae zorkos helos].
492. Jura dabas. According to most accounts he was reviewing the army. The poet may, however, have used these words only in a general sense, to denote any exercise of his authority. The assembly of the Roman people on the Campus Martius was always regarded as an exercitus. See Niebuhr on the Centuries. Rom. Hist. Vol. I.
493. Sol. fugit, in consequence of the darkness. It is not necessary, with Dionysius and others, to suppose an eclipse.
496. See Hor. Car. III. 3, 15. This circumstance was evidently in the Annals of Ennius, from which both poets derived it.—Fit fuga, hence this day was also called the Populifugiun.
498. Fides, belief or opinion.
500. Luna fulgebat, consequently there could not have been an eclipse of the sun. Livy says, that Romulus appeared prima luce, at the dawn of day. Several MSS. read surgebat. I prefer the common reading, as the poet, by saying that Proculus carried no torch, evidently means to express bright moon-light.
501. Sinistrae, the lucky side, according to Etrurian augury.—Nubes crepuere. Several MSS. read Sepes tremuere, or sonuere.
503. The usual signs of divinity.—Trabea. See above, I. 37. Plutarch says, that Romulus appeared [Greek: huplois lamprois kai phlegousi kekosmaemenos]. As the poet here uses the word trabea, I would take jura dabas above, v. 492, in its simple sense.
510. Populos, the Romans and Sabines, or probably as above, I. 38, for cives. Many MSS. read patres.
511. Collis, the Quirinal. Festus, with much greater probability, supposes it to have derived its name from the Sabines from Cures having settled on it. Niebuhr thinks there was a town on it named Quirium, whence came the name Quirites, at first peculiar to the Sabine portion of the Roman people.
512. The Quirinalia were stativa. See note on I. 657.
513. Another name for the Quirinalia was the Stultorurn Feriae, because those who from ignorance, or from having been on a journey, or from want of time, or any other just cause, had not sacrificed with the rest of the people on the Fornicalia, which was an indictive festival, (see preceding note) did so on the Quirinalia. The poet takes this occasion of relating the supposed origin of the Fornicalia.
519. Jaciebant, cast, i. e. sowed.
526. Temperet, that is, keep from burning.
527. Curio. Romulus, we are told, divided the people into 30 curiae, over each of which was a curio. The Curio Maximus presided over the 30 Curiones.—Leg. verb. ex gr. Lavatio Deum Matris est hodie. Jovis epulum eras est. Aesculapii geritur celebraturque vindemia. Lectisternium Cereris erit Idibus proximis. Arnobius, L. vii.
529. Multa tabella. On which was inscribed in what Curia each part of the people was to worship.
533. The Feralia, in honour of the dead, were celebrated on the 19th of February, as this was formerly the last month of the year. Festus derives Feralia, à ferendis epulis vel a feriendis pecudibus.—Varro, ab inferis et ferendo epulas. The derivation from inferis is nearest the truth.
537. Porrectis. One MS. which is followed by Heinsius, and the other editors, reads projectis.
542. Sua verba, suitable words.
545. See Virg aen. v. 94, et seq.
548. Par. dies, the days on which the Parentalia were celebrated.– Deseruere, neglected.
554. Deformes, scil, simulacra modis pallentia miris, or, as Lenz understands it, having no certain form.
557. Viduae puellae, either widows, or, if viduae is taken in its general sense, simply unmarried women. Two MSS. read avidae.
558. Puros dies, days not devoted to gloomy or melancholy matters, like the Feralia.
559, 560. Quae etc. opposed, it would appear, to the viduae of v. 557.—Hasta. It was the custom to divide the hair of a virgin-bride with the point of a small spear.
560. Torches were used at funerals and at the Parentalia, as well as at weddings.
563. During this time, the temples of the gods were closed, and no sacred rites performed.
566. That the souls of the dead loved to partake of food, is an opinion as old as the time of Homer. See the [Greek: nekuia] in the Odyssey.
567, 568. The Feralia, or last day for appeasing the Manes, was the XII. Kal. Mart, from which, to the end of the month, there were exactly eleven; that is, six and five days. Some have thought that the poet meant six feet only, and that therefore the Feralia were the VI. Kal. Mart, but this is contradicted by v. 684, and by an ancient calendar which places them on the XII. Kal. Mart.
569. See note on v. 533.
571. He now relates the rites performed on this day to the goddess Muta or Tacita, to bind the tongues of detractors. Neapolis thinks that the reason of uniting them with the Parentalia, may have been to give effect to the maxim, de mortuis nil nisi bonum.—Annosa, Heinsius would read vinosa or pannosa.
574. Brevis, i. e. parvus.
575. Plumbo. Black lead was employed in magic. One or two MSS. read rhombo, which is adopted by Heinsius and Gierig, and which I should also feel disposed to adopt. The rhombus or spindle, and the black or party-coloured threads were of great use in magic. See Virg. Ecl. viii. 75.
576. Seven, like three, was a magic number.
578. Maenae. The maena was a small fish of little value, which was salted and eaten by the poorer sort of people. It was used on this occasion symbolically, and was an appropriate offering to the goddess of Silence. This, which is the reading of only two MSS. has been adopted by all the editors: the MSS. in general read menta or mintha.
581. Vinximus. Vincire was the appropriate word to express the hindrance of any action by magic art.
583. This legend must have been invented long after the Romans had become acquainted with Grecian Mythology, as their ancient religion knew nothing of choirs of nymphs, or of amours of the gods. See Mythology, p. 450.
585. Indomita, [Greek: adamasto]. Many MSS. read immodico, and victus for captus.
598. The nymphs of the Anien, the god of which, according to our poet (Am. III. 6, 45,) espoused the mother of Romulus. Horace (Car. I. 2, 17,) unites her to the god of the Tiber.
600. That is, her name was 615. The Romans had both Lala, from lalia.
601. He makes her the daughter of the god of the river Almo.
605. Nuptam scil. Junonem. The common reading of the MSS. is nuptas; some have nymphae or _nympnam. It is evident that the poet wished to express the busy meddling loquacity of Lara, as it would have sufficed to set Juturna on her guard.
615. The Romans had both public and private Lares. The word Las is Etruscan and signified Lord. See V. 1238, et seq. and Mythology, pp. 481.482.
617—638. On the XI. Kal. Mart. was held the domestic feast, named the Caristia, from carus. "Convivium etiam solemne majores instituerunt, idque Caristia appellaverunt, cui praeter cognatos et affines nemo interponebatur; ut si qua inter necessarios querela esset orta, apud sacra mensae et inter hilaritatem animorum, fautoribus concordiae adhibitis, tolleretur." Valer. Max. II. 1.
619. He gives the reason why the Caristia followed immediately after the Feralia, that the dead might visit their friends, and have their share of the feast. See above note on v. 566.
625. Who thinks his father or mother lives too long.
628. Ino. For all the persons mentioned here, see my Mythology, under their names.
631. The Genii, and all the domestic gods, were called Di boni, [Greek: agathoi daimones]. The Lares or Penates are meant here.
633. Libate dapes. Place a portion of the food (dapes) on a patella to be set before the gods, i. e. the Lares. Libare, dapes, patella and honor, are all the appropriate terms.
634. Incinctos, that is, succinctos. See V. 2l7. 675. Persius Sat. V.3l.
635. Nox ultima, the latter part of the night towards morning, Most MSS. read humida.
636. Larga. One or two MSS. read parca, which Heinsius and Gierig adopt without hesitation,—Precaturi manu. Heinsius conjectures precaturae manus, which reading is adopted by Gierig. In their editions the line runs thus: Parca precaturae sumite vina manus.
637. It was considered highly culpable not to join the name of the prince in their supplications on occasions like this. Hence we seem to have derived the custom of drinking the king's health.
639. On the VIII. Kal. Mart. was the festival of the Terminalia, instituted, as was said, by Numa.
640. The Terminus or boundary, which also represented the god, was either a stone or a post of wood placed in the ground.
643. He here gives a minute description of the mode of worshiping the god of boundaries.—Duo domini, the owners of the ground on both sides.
644. Bina, same as duo.
645. Curto testu, a small earthen vessel. Heinsius has proved by abundant examples, that this was a usual sense of curtus.
648. Rami. These were driven into the ground, or rather into the sod-built altar, to keep the wood which was piled up from tumbling about.
650. Canistra, the basket in which were the corn, &c. to be used.
654. Candida, clad in white.
659. This is the hymn of the poet, rather than of the rustics.
663. The well-known story of the combat between three hundred Lacedaemonians and as many Argives, for the possession of Thyrea. See Herod. I. 82. Lucian, Charon, Valerius Maximus, &c.
665. Lectus, read; for when the three surviving Argives had run home with the news of their victory, thinking all the enemies dead, he got up, piled a trophy, and inscribed it with his blood. All the MSS. read tectus; lectus is the conjecture of Barthius, as Statius, Theb. iv. 47, says, Et Lacedaemonium Thyre lectura cruorem. It is almost certain that it is the true reading; the exclamation in the following line appears to confirm it.
667. See the story in Livy, I. 55.
669. Inventus. Five MSS. read conventus, which Heinsius and Gierig have adopted. Gierig interprets it cum ad eum convenissent augures. I must doubt if conventus ever occurs in this passive sense. Burmann proposes tunc lentus.