[113] Summo Med. and one of Ribbeck's cursives: an obvious error. Comp. 2. 801, “Iamque iugis summae surgebat Lucifer Idae, Ducebatque diem.” “Novo spargebat lumine terras” of the dawn, 4. 584., 9. 459: comp. Lucr. 2.144.
[114] Serv. has a quaint note: “Quia res perturbatae secuturae sunt, diem quoque cum fervore oriri fecit:” comp. his note cited on 11. 183.
[115] From Enn. A. 588, “funduntque elatis naribus lucem.” (Serv.) Comp. Pind. Ol. 7. 70, Ὁ γενέθλιος ἀκτίνων πατήρ, Πῦρ πνεόντων ἀρχὸς ἵππων. (Cerda.) Soph. Ant. 1146 speaks of the stars as breathing fire. Πῦρ τε τεθρίππων τῶν Ἀελίου, Eur. I. A. 159.
[116] For the apodosis after ‘vix’ see on 2. 172. So before the single combat, Il. 3. 314 foll., Ἕκτωρ δὲ Πριάμοιο πάϊς καὶ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς Χῶρον μὲν πρῶτον διεμέτρεον, &c.
[118] Focos, probably braziers or pans to hold the fire for the altars (see Forc. and Dict. A. ‘Ara’): comp. v. 285 below, “Diripuere aras . . . Craterasque focosque ferunt,” “Caespite vivo Pone focum” Calp. E. 5. 25. ‘Focus,’ from its frequent connexion with ‘ara,’ is in Ovid, Tibullus, and Propertius not seldom used as synonymous with it: see Prop. 3. 12, 14, Tib. 1. 2, 82, Ov. M. 4. 753, A. A. 1. 637, &c. ‘Dis communibus,’ the gods to whom both appeal: so “Communemque vocate deum” 8. 275. Comp. (with Heyne) Prop. 1. 11, 16, “Ut solet amoto labi custode puella Perfida, communes nec meminisse deos.”
[119] Gramineas: comp. Horace's “positusque carbo in Caespite vivo” 3 Od. 8. 3, and see Ov. M. 4. 753, “Dis tribus ille focos totidem de caespite ponit.” ‘Fontem,’ spring water. Serv. seems to refine unnecessarily on ‘fontem ignemque:’ “Ad facienda foedera semper aqua et ignis adhibentur: unde et quos arcere volumus a nostro consortio, eis aqua et igni interdicimus, i. e. rebus quibus consortia copulantur.”
[120] Velati lino Med., Pal., Rom. Gud. But Heyne rightly read ‘limo,’ on the authority of Serv., who writes “Caper tamen et Hyginus hoc loco dicunt lectionem esse corruptam: nam Virgilium its reliquisse confirmant, ‘Velati limo.’ Limus autem est vestis qua ab umbilico usque ad pedes prope tegebantur. Haec autem vestis habet in extremo sui purpuram limam, id est flexuosam, unde et nomen accipit.” Comp. (with Heyne) Gell. 12. 3, “Licio transverso, quod limum appellabatur, qui magistratibus præministrabant cincti erant.” Wagn. also refers to a Verona inscription (Orelli 3219, Corpus Inscr. Lat. 5. 1. 3401) “Honori M. Gavi . . . . apparitores et limocincti tribunalis eius,” and to Hyginus (in Rei Agrar. auct. a Goes. edit. p. 151), from whom it appears that the full form was “limus cinctus.” ‘Limo’ is given (according to Pottier) in two of the Paris MSS.: but see on 10. 705. ‘Verbena’ seems to have been a name for the grass and herbs plucked from the ground by the Fetiales and Pater patratus in the ceremony of making a treaty. (Livy, 1. 24.) See on E. 8. 65. Pliny, 22. 3, says, “Non aliunde (i. e. ex herbis ignobilibus) sagmina in remediis publicis fuere et in sacris legationibusque verbenae. Certe utroque nomine idem significatur, hoc est, gramen ex arce cum sua terra evolsum: ac semper e legatis cum ad hostes clarigatumque mitterentur, i. e. res raptas clare repetitum, unus utique Verbenarius vocatur.” Comp. Livy 30. 40. (Lersch, Antiqq. Verg. § 54.) In Livy 1. 24 the ‘pater patratus’ has his head and hair touched with the verbena.
[121] Serv. mentions two explanations of ‘pilata:’ “pilis armata,” and “densa, spissa.” Though he himself inclines to the first, the passages which he quotes from Varro and Asellio seem to show that “pilatus” was used technically of a close column in march. “Agmen pilatum” was distinguished from “agmen quadratum,” and “pilatim” from “passim iter facere.” No word “pilare” (= to crowd or press) exists, but perhaps “oppilare” may point to its having once existed. Enn. Sat. 3 has “pilatas aetheris oras,” quoted here by Serv., in what sense is not clear. “Pilata cohors” in Mart. 10. 48. 2 (Forc.) may mean “pilis armata,” and so perhaps the name “Pilatus.” But there is nothing unsuitable to the sense here in making “pilata” i. q. “densa,” and Virg. would not be sorry to use an old military term.
[122] “Plenis portis effusi hostes” Livy 1. 14 (Peerlk.). ‘Hic’ Rom. for ‘hinc.’
[123] “Variis, quia alius Troicus, alius Tyrrhenus,” Serv.
[124] Bello Med. for ‘ferro:’ see on 6. 553. ‘Instructi ferro,’ a refinement on the more ordinary ‘instructi armis’ 3. 471., 8. 80. “Pugna aspera” 9. 667., 11. 635. ‘Martis pugna’ like Homer's μῶλος Ἄρηος.
[125] Comp. 5. 132, “Ipsique in puppibus auro Ductores longe effulgent ostroque decori.” ‘Mediis in milibus’ 1. 491.
[126] Superbi Med., and so Cuningham, and after him Wagn. and Ribbeck, though ‘decori’ is given by all the other chief MSS. ‘Decori’ might easily be a reminiscence of 5. 1. c. ‘Superbi’ however may have come from 1. 639, “ostroque superbo.”
[127] Genus Assaraci Mnestheus like “Rex, genus egregium Fauni” 7. 213. “Laevinum Valeri genus” Hor. 1 S. 6. 12. So δριμὺ Σισύφου γένος of Ulysses Eur. Cycl. 104, “Δαναοῖο γενέθλη Ναύπλιος” Apoll. R. 1. 133. ‘Asilas’ may be either the warrior of 9. 571, or the Etruscan seer 10. 175.
[128] From 7. 691., 9. 523.
[129] Spatia apparently = the spaces of ground marked out for each. So perhaps 5. 584, “adversi spatiis.”
[130] Tellure Med., Pal., Gud., confirmed by Arusianus p. 225 L. ‘Telluri’ Rom. and one of Ribbeck's cursives. Heyne read ‘tellure,’ and so Ribbeck: Wagn., Forb., and Gossr. ‘telluri:’ Virg. uses both dat. and abl. with ‘defigo’ (G. 2. 290 “terrae,” A. 6. 652 “terra”), and the balance of external authority should therefore decide the question. The words are adapted from Il. 3. 134 foll., Οἳ δὴ νῦν ἕαται σιγῇ, πόλεμος δὲ πέπαυται, Ἀσπίσι κεκλιμένοι, παρὰ δ᾽ ἔγχεα μακρὰ πέπηγεν. ‘Reclinant,’ lean against the ground.
[131] Studio, in their eagerness: so ‘studiis’ 5. 450. ‘Inermum’ 2nd decl. as in 10. 425, Lucr. 5.1292. See on 10. 571. ‘Effusae’ might conceivably be taken with ‘studio,’ like “effusi lacrimis” 2. 651: but it more naturally means ‘pouring from their homes,’ as in 7. 812.
[132] Turris ac tecta Pal., Rom., Gud., ‘turris et tecta’ Med., with some support from two of Ribbeck's cursives. The variation is not uncommon (see Wagn. Q. V. 35. 21); and it is better in each case to follow the balance of external authority. Ribbeck is therefore probably right in restoring ‘ac.’ Wagn. defends ‘et,’ thinking that ‘ac’ may be a reminiscence of 2. 445 (“turris ac tecta domorum Culmina”).
[133] The sequence of tenses ‘obsedere’ . . . ‘adstant’ is the same as in 2. 449, “Alii strictis mucronibus imas Obsedere fores: has servant agmine denso.” Comp. ib. 332, “Portis alii bipatentibus adsunt . . . Obsedere alii telis angusta viarum.” ‘Obsedere’ perf., not aor. ‘Instant’ Rom., “non male,” says Ribbeck.
[134-160] ‘Juno addresses herself to the nymph Juturna, whom she urges to take some means for rescuing Turnus.’
