[426] Caede viri tanta like “casu viri tanto” 1. 613, ‘viri’ here being Pallas, not Halaesus. ‘Sinit perterrita’ like “querentem passa” 1. 385. The pres. part. is used there because the action interrupted is continuous: the past here because the fright is sudden.
[427] Pelli Med. for ‘belli.’ ‘Lausus, pars ingens belli,’ like “pars belli haud temnenda . . . Orodes” v. 737 below. “Quorum pars magna fui,” 2. 7. ‘Primus’ of the man who sets the example. Comp. Il. 6. 5, referred to on v. 310. ‘Abas’ v. 170 above.
[428] Nodus of a difficulty that requires solving. “Maxumus in republica nodus est inopia rei pecuniariae” Cic. (?) 1 ad Brut. 18. Heyne's explanation, deriving the metaphor from a knot in wood, is ingenious, but unsupported by analogy. Florus 4. 9 seems to imitate Virg. “Nondum ad pacis stabilitatem profecerat Caesar, cum scopulus (scrupulus?) et nodus et mora publicae securitatis superesset Antonius.” With ‘moram’ comp. the line “belli mora concidit Hector” quoted on 11. 290.
[430] 2. 197 “Quos neque Tydides, nec Larissaeus Achilles” &c. “‘Inperdita’ quis ante hunc?” asks Serv. ‘Corpora,’ note on 2. 20. Virg. speaks as if the handful of Trojans which followed Aeneas to Pallanteum (the rest, as Serv. reminds us, remain in the camp till v. 604) had been indestructible by the Greeks: the fact being that they had simply not been destroyed. The change from the 3rd to the 2nd person is similarly meant to heighten our interest in them. There is a similar flatness, produced by an attempt at elevation, 12. 542 foll.
[432] Addensent Pal. originally, ‘addensant’ Med., Rom., Pal. corrected, Gud. Serv. and Priscian (837, 866) support ‘addensent:’ see on G. 1. 248. “Densete catervas” 12. 264. ‘Extremi:’ the rear ranks pressing on the front make the mêlée a close one. With ‘nec tela moveri’ &c. comp. v. 239 foll.
[433] ‘Sinīt,’ see Excursus on Book 12.
[435, 436] Formae Gud. originally. ‘Sed quis’ &c. like Hom.'s θεὸς δ᾽ ἀποαίνυτο νόστον. ‘Reditus’ pl. as in 2. 118.
[437, 438] “Summi regnator Olympi” 7. 558, whence Arusianus p. 218 L. quotes with ‘summi’ here. “Superi regnator Olympi” 2. 779. Comp. v. 471 below: “etiam sua Turnum Fata vocant.” “Duriora fata te manent” Hor. Epod. 17. 62 (Forb.). ‘Sub hoste’ like “duro sub Marte cadentum” 12. 410. Virg. has almost translated Il. 15. 613, quoted by Germanus, ἤδη γάρ οἱ ἐπώρνυε μόρσιμον ἦμαρ Παλλὰς Ἀθηναίη ὑπὸ Πηλείδαο βίῃφιν. This and the next line are cut away in Pal., being at the bottom of the page.
[439-509] ‘Turnus comes to meet Pallas, and they prepare for single combat. Pallas prays to Hercules, once his father's guest, for success: but the good wishes of Hercules are overruled, unwillingly, by Jupiter. In the combat that follows Turnus kills Pallas. He freely sends the body back for burial, but spoils him of his belt: an act which afterwards has a terrible consequence.’
