[298] “Hei mihi! quid tanto turbantur moenia luctu?” 12. 620. ‘Luctus’ seems peculiarly used of the agony during a battle, vv. 26, 369, Sall. Jug. 97 “luctu atque caede omnia conplentur,” as well as of the grief afterwards for the lost, 11. 350, but the distinction is not always easy to draw. ‘Diverso,’ as the disaster spread through the town.
[299] Secreta and ‘obtecta’ both go with ‘recessit,’ as predicates. In Hom., as Mr. Gladstone remarks (Studies, vol. iii. p. 120), Anchises is an independent prince of Dardania, not a resident in Troy.
[301] Armorum horror, the alarm of battle: 12. 405, “saevus campis magis et magis horror Crebrescit, propiusque malum est.”
[302] Excutior, middle. ‘Fastigia tecti’ is rightly explained by Henry as “tectum fastigatum,” a sloping or ridged roof, comparing Livy's description of the “testudo,” 44. 9, “scutis super capita densatis, stantibus primis, secundis submissioribus, tertiis magis et quartis, postremis etiam genu nixis, fastigatam, sicut tecta aedificiorum sunt, testudinem faciebant.”
[303] Ascensu supero: equivalent to “ascendo,” as “partu creare” to “parere,” &c.: see on v. 226. ‘Supero’ is used alone in this sense, 6. 676. ‘Adsto:’ see on 1. 152.
[304] The comparison is between Aeneas listening to the sound of battle from the roof of his house, and a shepherd hearing the roaring of a conflagration or a torrent from the top of a crag, so that it seems best to make ‘stupet’ the apodosis to ‘veluti cum,’ though in Il. 4. 455, which suggested the simile of the torrent, the shepherd is introduced merely as an accessory to the picture. Comp. 1. 148, note. Of course, however, the protasis of the simile is so worded as to give some notion of the whole scene as it lay before Aeneas. For ‘furentibus’ we might have expected “ferentibus,” as in G. 2. 311, but the MSS. have no variation. ‘Incidit flamma,’ perhaps of a casual spark, like “excidit ignis” G. 2. 303.
[305] Montano flumine is apparently to be taken with ‘torrens,’ not with ‘sternit.’ The details of the simile seem to be taken from Il. 11. 492 foll., and perhaps Lucr. 1.281 foll.
[306] Sternit—sternit, note on E. 4. 6.
[307] Stupet inscius occurs again 7. 381., 10. 249: not knowing what to make of it.
[309] Manifesta fides is used by Livy 6. 13 for a palpable demonstration. Forc. compares the Aristotelian use of πίστις, which Cic. Top. 12 renders ‘fides.’ The thing demonstrated is the truth of the vision and its revelations. It matters little whether ‘manifesta’ be taken as a predicate, or ‘fides’ constructed with ‘patescunt.’
[310] Ampla connected with ‘dedit’ as a predicate. ‘Dedit ruinam,’ Lucr. 2. 1145. That the house of Deiphobus was one of the first attacked appears from Od. 8. 517. See also 6. 494, note.
[311] There is the same doubt here as in 1. 537 about the meaning of ‘superante.’ ‘Overtopping’ would perhaps give the more poetical and picturesque sense, but ‘overpowering’ would be supported by “expugnata” in the passage referred to above from Lucr. (comp. also “evicta traxit ruinam,” vv. 630, 631, below), and by “ignis—victor—regnat,” G. 2. 307.
[312] Ucalegon: one of the ancient counsellors who sat with Priam on the wall, Il. 3. 148. The man is put for his house, as Apollo for his temple, 3. 275. “Iam frivola transfert Ucalegon” Juv. 3. 288, alluding to this passage. So “ad nos” for “ad nostram domum.” ‘Lata’ has the force of “late.” Forb. comp. 12. 785, “ter caelo clarus ab alto Intonuit.”
[313] Comp. 1. 87. ‘Tubarum:’ the mention of trumpets is said by Heyne to be an anachronism; Hom. speaks of their use, and that during a siege, Il. 18. 219, only however in a simile. Serv. speaks of overthrowing cities to the sound of a trumpet as an ancient custom, and instances the taking of Alba by Tullus Hostilius.
[314] ‘In armis,’ sc. “capiendis.” Aeneas was rushing into battle without a sufficiently distinct notion what object to aim at. “Non te rationis egentem Lernaeus turba capitum circumstetit anguis,” 8. 299.
[315] This and the two following lines explain Aeneas' feelings in arming himself, —anxiety to effect a junction with his friends and occupy a position, rage and desperation, and the hope of a glorious deat. ‘Glomerare manum,’ to gather a troop, occurs 9. 792. ‘Bello’ apparently the dative, “ad bellum,” as in G. 2. 279, 447, &c. The citadel as a rallying-point is his first thought: see on v. 322.
[317] “Succurrit, pulchrum esse mori in armis.”
[318-369] ‘I am met by Panthus, the priest of Apollo, coming from the citadel, and he tells me all is lost. A few friends join me, and we resolve to sell our lives as dearly as we can.’
