[384] “Ergo iter inceptum celerant,” 8. 90. Here ‘ergo’ denotes not a consequence from what has been related, but a resumption of the main subject, as in G. 4. 206 note. ‘Peragunt’ strictly refers to their going through their whole journey point by point, so that it extends to a time subsequent to ‘fluvioque propinquant.’ Comp. Ov. F. 1. 188, “peragat coeptum dulcis ut annus iter.” Practically in a context like this we may take it ‘begin to go through.’ Thus it would nearly = ‘pergunt,’ which Peerlkamp wishes to substitute for it here; it is important however to observe that this force is not inherent in the word, but communicated from the context.
[385] Iam inde may either mean, from that place, or from that point of time, the reference in either case being fixed by ‘fluvioque propinquant.’ The former seems right; comp. ‘iam istinc’ just below, v. 389. ‘Iam’ is not unfrequently joined with ‘inde;’ see Forc. ‘Inde.’ Med. has ‘conspexit.’
[386] Advertere; comp. the nautical sense of the word 5. 34, note. The line seems to be intended to express quick and quiet motion.
[387] Adgreditur dictis 3. 358., 4. 92. ‘Increpat ultro’ 9. 127. ‘Ultro’ 2. 145, note.
[389] φθέγγεο, μηδ᾽ ἀκέων ἐπ᾽ ἔμ᾽ ἔρχεο: τίπτε δέ σε χρεώ; Il. 10. 85. ‘Iam istinc’ is rightly joined by Wagn. with ‘fare:’ ‘speak from the place where you are, without coming nearer.’ So apparently Serv. ‘a loco in quo es.’ Stat. Theb. 3. 347 (comp. by Lachmann on Lucr. 3. 806) has “iam illinc a postibus aulae Vociferans.” ‘Comprime gressum,’ like “vestigia pressit” v. 197.
[390] Sleep is mentioned as connected with death, and alien from active life, and so the epithet ‘soporae,’ a somewhat uncommon word: see Forc. Rom. gives ‘et’ for ‘est.’
[391] Corpora viva, as the shades are sometimes called ‘corpora,’ v. 303, &c.
[392] Nec me sum laetatus accepisse seems to be a translation of οὔτι χαίρων εἰσεδεξάμην. The form of the line is perhaps from Apoll. R. 3. 584 “οὐδὲ γὰρ Αἰολίδην Φρίξον μάλα περ χατέοντα Δέχθαι ἐνὶ μεγάροισιν”. Serv. cites Orpheus for the statement that Charon was terrified by Hercules into taking him on board, and was punished afterwards by being kept a whole year in chains. ‘Nec vero,’ nor indeed: οὐδὲ μήν, comp. v. 801.
[393] Lacu is rightly joined by Supfl with ‘accepisse,’ not with ‘euntem.’ ‘Lacu accepisse’ virtually = ‘cymba accepisse.’
[394] Dis geniti v. 131. Neptune was the ancestor of Theseus, Jove of Pirithous. ‘Invicti viribus’ seems to refer to the story told above on v. 392, as if Charon meant to say that though he could plead that his passengers were deserving from their divine descent, and further that he had no choice in the matter, as they were stronger than he, it did not avail to shield him from punishment.
[395] Custos of Cerberus, v. 424. For ‘in vincla petivit’ Forb. quotes Quinct. 7. 1. 54, “in iis controversiis in quibus petuntur in vincula qui parentes suos non alunt.” ‘Ducere’ or ‘abripere in vincula’ is also found; see Forc. ‘vinculum.’ The object of Hercules' expedition to Hades is mentioned briefly Il. 8. 366 foll., Od. 11. 623 foll. ‘Manu’ G. 2. 156 note.
[396] Ipsius—regis used to be connected with ‘traxitque,’ contrary to Virg.'s custom about the position of ‘que.’ Wakef. first made the change, which improves the passage in every respect. ‘Traxitque trementem’ is forcible, as showing how completely the attempt succeeded. We may suppose either that Cerberus broke his chain and fled to his master's throne, as Serv. suggests, or that Virg. followed some story which spoke of Cerberus as sttached to Pluto's throne, instead of placing him where he himself places him in vv. 417 foll.
[397] It was doubted in Serv.'s time whether ‘Ditis’ went with ‘dominam’ or with ‘thalamo.’ There seems, however, no authority for the use of ‘domina’ with a gen. in ordinary writing for ‘uxor,’ nor perhaps for that of the Greek δέσποινα, which Serv. adduces, though a wife is often so called in relation to the inferior members of the household, and even by her husband in the language of compliment. Even the English ‘lady’ would hardly be used of a wife in plain speaking or writing, though common enough in the conventional language of society. ‘Dominam’ then is to be taken separately, and explained either in relation to ‘thalamo,’ or as said by Charon of his mistress and the queen of the shades, as it is frequently used of goddesses; see on 3. 113. The use of δέσποινα as a special title of Proserpine (see Lidd. and Scott) contributes further to make it appropriate here. ‘Adoriri’ with inf. Lucr. 3.515.
[398] Quae contra like “contra quem” 9. 280. ‘Amphrysia:’ “longe petitum epitheton,” as Serv. remarks, being given to the Sibyl from her association with Apollo, the “pastor ab Amphryso,” G. 3. 2.
[399] “Nil tale” 9. 207. ‘Absiste moveri’ parenthetical, as in 11. 408. Fragm. Vat. has ‘hinc,’ corrected into ‘hic;’ “non male,” says Ribbeck.
[400] “Vim ferre” 10. 77, where it = ‘inferre;’ otherwise ‘ferunt’ might = ‘praeportant.’ Cerberus is called “ianitor Orci” 8. 296; “ianitor aulae” Hor. 3 Od. 11. 16. ‘Antro,’ in his den.
[401] There seems something contemptuousin ‘exsanguis terreat umbras.’ ‘Exsanguis’ is used to express the effect of terror (2. 212, &c.), so that to frighten those who are bloodless already is to slay the slain. A similar taunt too appears in ‘patrui’ v. 402, as if Proserpine were ill matched. ‘Let Cerberus continue to frighten the weak, and Proserpine keep her unenvied state’ would seem to be the spirit of the two lines. The Sibyl's tone is affected by her sympathy with Aeneas, so that she falls, excusably perhaps, into a strain which, though natural to a philosophical Roman, would hardly be found in Homer.
[402] Casta seems to be a predicate. “Servare limen” 2. 567. Here it seems i. q. the Greek ἔσω καθῆσθαι, ἔνδον μένειν, οἰκουρεῖν, &c., the Roman “domi mansit, lanam fecit,” the characteristic of a good wife in ancient times. So Prop. 2. 6. 24, quoted by Cerda, “Felix Admeti coniunx et lectus Ulixis Et quaecunque viri femina limen amat.” Perhaps I may be allowed to refer to my notes on Aesch. Cho. 919, 138.
[403] “Troius Aeneas” 1. 596. “Insignem pietate virum” 1. 10. “Nec pietate fuit nec bello maior et armis” 1. 545.
[404] Descendit ad genitorem, “ad vos (Manis) descendam” 12. 649. It is the emphatic part of the line; it is to see his father that he undertakes the descent, not to perform any act of violence. ‘Imas Erebi descendit ad umbras’ forms as it were one verbal notion, which is in fact the excuse for the somewhat loose form of expression, ‘imas’ being intended not to be taken strictly, as if Aeneas were really penetrating the lowest depths of the infernal world, but simply to discriminate the shades from the world above, and thus mark the difficulty of the undertaking. ‘Erebi umbras,’ 4. 26.
[405] “Si te nulla movet tantarum gloria rerum” 4. 272. Here, and probably there, ‘nulla’ i. q. “nullo modo.” Comp. E. 10. 12 &c. “Pietatis imago” 9. 294., 10. 824. Here it means the sight of goodness, embodied in Aeneas. See on 2. 369.
[406] ‘At’ after a conditional protasis G. 4. 241.
[407] Adgnoscas probably in an imperative sense. ‘Tumida’ and ‘residunt’ illustrate each other, the metaphor being from water in a storm. Comp. G. 2. 479, 480. ‘Ex ira’ expresses the change from the previous state, like “ex imbri” G. 1. 393. “Tumor omnis et irae” 8. 40.
[408] ‘His’ is dat., not abl., the construction being to be completed by a verb supplied from the context. That verb was rightly supposed by Jahn in his first ed. (in his second he changed his mind) to be ‘regerit,’ or some word of similar meaning, though we need not follow him in altering the punctuation into ‘nec plura his ille: admirans.’ Charon is mollified, and does not reply. No pronoun has been used in the preceding clause ‘tumida— residunt,’ and none accordingly is used here, where the expression is elliptical: in the next clause Virg. expresses himself fully, and consequently uses ‘ille.’ The old interpretation made ‘tumida—residunt’ part of the Sibyl's speech, on which Heyne remarks rightly that we should then have expected ‘resident.’ Serv. explains “Nec est aliquid ulterius dictum vel a Sibylla vel a Charonte post ramum visum,” which is Jahn's second view, and virtually that of Heyne, Wagn., and Forb., who supply “Sibylla addidit.” If this view be adopted, it would seem better to make ‘his’ the abl., supplying “dicta sunt.” ‘Donum,’ to Proserpine vv. 632 foll.
[409] Fatalis is rightly explained by Serv. from v. 147. ‘Longo post tempore visum:’ see on v. 136. It is scarcely likely that Hercules or Theseus was represented as having come with the bough, as Charon seems to say that they prevailed by other means, and that the consequences were accordingly disastrous.
[410] ‘Caeruleam’ i. q. “ferrugineam” v. 303: see on G. 1. 467.
[411] Alias, other than Aeneas, according to the Greek and Latin idiom of including a person or thing among those from whom it is intended to distinguish him. See on 1. 198, and comp. Lidd. and Scott ἄλλος. ‘Iuga:’ “Graece dixit: ζυγά enim dicunt quae transtra nominamus,” Serv. No other instance of this use of the word is given by Forc.
[412] Deturbat 5. 175. ‘Laxare’ of clearing, like “via vix tandem voci laxata” 11. 151. ‘Alveo’ of the hollow of the boat, a sense found in prose as well as in verse: see Forc. For the synizesis comp. 7. 33.
[413] We are occasionally reminded by Virg. of Aeneas' size, as in 5. 487. Here the contrast between the gigantic hero and the shades whose place he takes and its effects on the boat are rather grotesque.
[414] Sutilis seems to indicate that it was a light boat of skins, such as was used by the ancient Britons, or of rushes or flags, like those of the Egyptians (comp. Pliny 7. 56). The latter view agrees with the supposition that the conception of Charon was derived from Egypt. Germ. suggests ‘futilis,’ which is found in the Venetian ed. (of 1470?). Festus s. v. ‘Futiles’ says “Vasa futilia a fundendo vocata.” ‘Rimosa:’ Charon's boat is described as crazy by Lucian, Dial. Mort. 22 (quoted by Wagn.), τὸ σκαφίδιον καὶ ὑπόσαθρόν ἐστι καὶ διαρ᾽ῥεῖ τὰ πολλά. ‘Accepit paludem:’ comp. “laxis laterum conpagibus omnes Accipiunt inimicum imbrem” 1. 122. The meaning is that the weight made rents in the boat.
[415] Jahn thinks ‘incolumis’ may be nom. sing., indicating that the boat survived the strain put on it: but Forb. rightly objects to this as too artificial.
[416] “Limus niger et deformis arundo” G. 4. 478. ‘Exponere’ of a ship 10. 305. ‘Glauca ulva’ like “arundine glauca” 10. 205. ‘In’ in the second clause, as in 2. 654., 5. 512.
[417-425] ‘They next see Cerberus, who barks furiously. The Sibyl throws him a drugged cake, which he eats and falls asleep.’
