[794] One of Ribbeck's cursives gives ‘partem succedere Phoebus.’
[795] Mente dedit 10. 629, where it is explained by what precedes. Apollo silently grants part of the request, without making any sign of assent, as in such cases as 9. 630. The partial granting of the prayer is from Il. 16. 250 foll. With ‘volucris dispersit in auras’ comp. 9. 313 note.
[796] Turbatam: see on v. 790. Stat. Theb. 9. 745, has “Prima Tanagraeum turbavit arundo Coroebum,” probably an imitation of this passage. ‘Adnuit ut sterneret, dedit ut videret,’ comp. v. 152 above.
[799-835] ‘The spear pierces Camilla, who sinks and dies. The Trojans are inspirited, and redouble their efforts.’
[799] Per auras seems to go both with ‘missa’ and with ‘dedit.’ Med. has ‘ergo ubi.’
[800] Acres was the reading of some of the earliest editions, but no MS. seems to support it. ‘Acris’ seems best taken with ‘animos,’ though ‘acres’ might go with ‘Volsci.’ In either case it appears to be i. q. “acriter.” ‘Convertere,’ like ‘tulere,’ with ‘ad reginam,’ so that it is not like “conversi animi” 2. 73.
[801] Neque, which Heins. restored for ‘nec,’ is found only in one of Ribbeck's cursives. One or two of Ribbeck's cursives give ‘auras,’ which Serv. positively asserts to be the ‘antiqua lectio.’ The termination however is so entirely unknown to literary Latin, except in the instance of “familias,” that it is not easy to conceive that Virg. can have used it, especially with ‘auras’ concluding vv. 795, 799. ‘Aurae,’ the wind of the weapon, like “turbine” 1. 45.
[802] Memor, conscious, as perhaps in 9. 480. ‘Venientis ab aethere,’ passing through the sky before it reached her. The omission of the verb subst. in a connexion like this, where there is nothing particularly brief or rapid (see Madv. § 479 a), is not very usual. For ‘aut’ after ‘nec’ see Madv. § 458 c. obs. 2.
[803] Sub papillam with ‘haesit.’ ‘Exsertam,’ note on v. 649 above. ‘Perlata’ like “viris pertulit” 10. 786.
[804] “Alte volnus adactum” 10. 850, comp. by Forb. ‘Bibit’ of the spear, like “hauserit” of the sword 2. 600. Macrob. Sat. 6. 6 comp. the Homeric λιλαιομένη χροὸς ἆσαι.
[805] “Fratremque ruentem Sustentat dextra” 10. 338.
[806] “Suscipiunt famulae” 4. 391. Ribbeck reads ‘succipiunt’ from one cursive. ‘Ante omnis’ with ‘exterritus.’ ‘Exterritus’ of strong excitement, not necessarily confined to terror, G. 3. 234.
[807] It matters little whether ‘laetitia mixtoque metu’ be connected with ‘exterritus’ or coupled more loosely with the preceding words, as in 1. 514. “Mixtoque insania luctu” 10. 871.
[808] Occurrere: he may be said to have faced her darts before, as he wounded her in the front. Pal. has ‘succurrere,’ but ‘occurrere’ seems to have been its original reading. Virg. thought of Il. 16. 814. See on v. 815 below.
[809] Expanded from a simile in Il. 15. 586 foll. ‘Ille—lupus’ like “ille— aper” 10. 707, the pronoun partly anticipating the substantive, as in G. 4. 457 note, partly strengthening it, as in such passages as 2. 779, much as we might say, ‘the caitiff wolf.’ ‘Sequantur,’ subj., his object being to anticipate them. Comp. 1. 193.
[810] Abdidit, not, as Heyne, “abdere solet,” but expressing instantaneous action. ‘Sese avius abdidit’ like “obvius sese obtulit” 10. 552 note. ‘In montis sese abdidit’ like “se condet in undas” G. 1. 438. Mr. Long quotes Caesar B. G. 1. 12, “reliqui sese in proximas silvas abdiderunt.” ‘Avius’ of a person 12. 480.
[812] Conscius audacis facti expresses Hom.'s θηρὶ κακὸν ῥέξαντι. ‘Remulcens,’ as Forc. s. v. remarks, a wild beast's tail is erected in anger, relaxed in fear. ‘Re’ seems to express partly the change, partly the act of drawing back the tail between the legs, ‘mulceo’ partly the unbending of the tail, partly the stroking of the belly with it. The word is a picturesque one, and its use seems peculiar to Virg. Pal. and Gud. have ‘remulgens.’
[814] Turbidus expresses the mixture of feelings mentioned v. 807. Comp. 10. 648, where it is used of pleasurable emotion. “Se ex oculis aufert” 4. 389.
[815] Contentus fuga, satisfied with escaping, not ambitious of consummating his victory. ‘Mediis se inmiscuit armis,’ as Germ. says, is from Il. 16. 813, μίκτο δ᾽ ὁμίλῳ, of Euphorbus after wounding Patroclus. “Se inmiscuit armis” in a different sense G. 4. 245: see on 10. 396.
[816] “Ille rapit calidum frustra de volnere telum” 10. 486. ‘Trahit,’ pulls at: she failed to draw it out.
[817] Comp., generally, 10. 382 foll. ‘Ad’ may either be “usque ad,” the weapon penetrating as far as the ribs, or “iuxta.”
[818] Labitur, she begins to fall, though she does not actually fall till v. 828. Donatus is supposed to have read ‘labitur et sanguis’ (‘ecsanguis ?’). ‘Exsanguis’ is explained by the next line. ‘Labi’ is used of eyes closing in death by Ov. 3 Trist. 3. 44, Quint. 6. praef., quoted by Cerda. ‘Leto,’ probably abl. of instr. or circumstances, with ‘labuntur.’ Comp. 10. 418, “Ut senior leto canentia lumina solvit.” Serv. mentions a reading ‘telo,’ which is found as a variant in one MS.
[819] Quondam probably with ‘purpureus.’ ‘Purpureus’ of the bloom of youth and beauty 1. 591. One of Ribbeck's cursives has ‘ossa,’ and one has ‘relinquit.’
[820] Acca is introduced for the sake of variety, not having been mentioned above, vv. 655 foll. The name is from early Italian history.
[821] Ante alias sola like “una ante alias” 3. 321. Pal. originally, and Med. a m. s. have ‘fidam,’ which Ribbeck actually adopts.
[822] Comp. generally 4. 421, “solam nam perfidus ille Te colere, arcanos etiam tibi credere sensus,” where the inf. of habit is used as here, though not, as here, with a relative clause. ‘Quicum’ Med., Rom., Gud. corrected (perhaps from ‘quam cum’), ‘quacum’ Pal. (‘a’ in an erasure covering two letters), variant in Gud. Priscian p. 960 P., and other grammarians attest the former, the archaic abl. of both genders. Virg. seemingly imitated Enn. A. 7. fr. 10, “‘Haecce locutu’ vocat quocum bene saepe libenter Mensam sermonesque suos rerumque suarum Comiter (?) inpertit,” which shows that ‘quicum’ here refers to Acca. “Atque ita fatur” 5. 383. The rhythm here may be meant to express gasping utterance. Two or three inferior MSS. read “solet, atque ita fatur.”
[823] It is doubtful whether ‘hactenus potui’ means ‘thus far have I been able to bear up against my wound,’ or ‘thus far have I been able to fight,’ i. e. my fighting time is over. The last is perhaps the more probable, the words forming a kind of epitaph, like Dido's “vixi,” 4. 653. ‘Acerbum’ may refer to untimely death, as Cerda thinks, comp. 6. 429; but it is better taken in its ordinary sense.
[824] Conficit: Virg. uses the participle much more frequently than the verb; Lucr. the contrary. Thiel quotes Donatus on Ter. Eun. 5. 4. 6, “Proprie hoc verbum convenit iis qui gravissimis volneribus occubuerunt.” For ‘tenebris,’ &c., Cerda comp. a number of passages, such as Eur. Hipp. 1444, Alc. 385, Phoen. 1453.
[825] Effuge seems to denote speed rather than escape, as if Acca were likely to be impeded.
[826] “Succedit pugnae” 10. 690. Pal. originally, and Rom. have ‘urbi,’ which may be right; comp. E. 7. 47.
[827] One of Ribbeck's cursives has ‘hoc dicens’ as a variant for ‘his dictis;’ comp. 10. 856.
[828] Virg. may have though of his own expression above, v. 501, “quam tota cohors imitata relictis Ad terram defluxit equis.” Comp. also G. 3. 524, “Ad terramque fluit devexo pondere cervix.” Pal. has ‘tota.’
[829] “Teque isto corpore solvo” 4. 703; comp. ib. 695. Taubm. comp. Lucr. 3.696, “exsolvere sese Omnibus e nervis atque ossibus articulisque.”
[830] “Pone caput” 5. 845. ‘Leto’ might go with ‘posuit’ either as dat. or as instr. abl.; but it seems better to connect it with ‘captum.’ For ‘relinquens’ Serv. mentions a variant ‘relinquunt,’ which he tells us Probus explained by a hypallage, “ipsa relinquit arma.” Ribbeck adopts it; but as Serv. is a witness for both readings, the choice is at any rate a free one between them, and the consent of Med. and Pal. may turn the scale for ‘relinquens.’ Rom. has ‘reliquit,’ from which we might perhaps argue that the text was altered in various ways by critics who did not understand ‘relinquunt.’ For similar varieties see on v. 845.
[831] Repeated 12. 952. Serv. remarks that Camilla, like Turnus, dies young, and so unwillingly. So Patroclus and Hector, Il. 16. 856 foll., 22. 362 foll., doubtless imitated by Virg. One of Ribbeck's cursives originally had ‘per umbras.’
[832] The Trojans are encouraged and fight more furiously. “Ferit aurea sidera clamor” 2. 488, note.
[833] Deiecta; see on v. 642 above. ‘Crudescit’ G. 3. 504, note.
[834] “Densis incurrimus armis” 2. 409. Rom. has ‘concurrunt.’
[835] Tyrrhenique duces above, v. 171. “Euandrique Arcades alae” 12. 551. Med. has ‘Tyrrhenum,’ two of Ribbeck's cursives corrected ‘Arcadis.’
[836-867] ‘Opis laments Camilla, and takes aim at Arruns, who falls in the moment of his triumph and dies uncared for.’
