[441] Umbrae: most MSS., including Med., Rom., Pal., and Gud., have ‘umbra;’ ‘umbrae’ however is the original reading of fragm. Vat., and has the authority of Probus ap. Serv., and Pomponius Sabinus; and it is recommended both by harmony and as the less usual expression. It is not easy to establish an argument on any peculiar construction of ‘laetus’ according to its senses, as it seems to have no uniform meaning with either case. “Laeta laborum,” 11. 73, may possibly mean ‘prodigal of her labour;’ but it is as likely to mean ‘delighting in the task.’ For sacred groves in cities, see Livy 1. 8.
[442] ‘The spot in which the Poeni after their wanderings first found the sign which Juno had taught them to expect.’ The horse's head is to the Carthaginians what the white sow is to Aeneas. Comp. 3. 388 foll., “Signa tibi dicam” &c. There is perhaps an intentional parallel between the dawn of hope to the Carthaginians on this spot and to Aeneas on the same spot. Comp. v. 450, where the expression is much the same. From this it would seem that ‘primum’ is an adverb, not an epithet of ‘signum,’ as Wagn. suggests. Comp. however 3. 537.
[444] Monstrarat is commonly taken as “obiecerat” or “monstro dederat,” which would not agree with the pluperfect tense, or with the dependent words ‘sic nam fore’ &c., which follow. ‘Caput acris equi:’ Justin (18. 5) has a story that the Carthaginians on first digging found an ox's head, which seemed to portend servitude; that they then dug again, and found a horse's head; and that the two were then taken to portend plenty and success in war combined. Caelius Rhodius (referred to by Taubmann) says that Cacabe, the old name of Carthage, meant a horse's head, which, if true, would account for the legend. A horse's head is common on Punic coins. ‘Acris equi’ is paraphrased by Silius (2. 411), “bellator equus.” In 3. 539 (“bello armantur equi”) horses are taken as an omen of war.
[445] Facilem victu, wealthy. Comp. G. 2. 460, “Fundit humo facilem victum iustissima tellus” (of which expression this, as Heyne remarks, is only a variety), and A. 8. 318, “asper victu venatus.” Cerda comp. the Homeric θεοὶ ῥεῖα ζώοντες, and “facillime agitis,” Ter. Adelph. 3. 4. 56, is cited by Serv. ‘Bello egregiam et facilem victu’ thus answers to the two characteristics of Carthage v. 14, “dives opum studiisque asperrima belli.” Sen. Ep. 90, as Cerda remarks, uses the expression in an opposite sense, “sapiens victu facilis,” ‘easy of maintenance.’ The horse may be a symbol of plenty, either as an appendage of wealth, or because a war-horse is high fed.
[447] Condebat seems to imply that the work was not complete, though Weidner thinks otherwise. ‘Opulentum donis et numine’ is a zeugma, ‘enriched by offerings and by the especial presence of the goddess.’ See on “coluisse,” v. 16. There was doubtless a statue, though this is implied rather than expressed by ‘numen’ both here and 4. 204. Something of the same conjunction of notions appears in “pinguis et placabilis ara,” 7. 764., 9. 585, where the thought seems to be ‘richly gifted and therefore propitious,’ or ‘richly gifted because believed to be propitious.’
[448] Limen, in its strict sense. The threshold was of brass, with steps leading up to it. The latter particular is an ornamental one, and need not be understood as if the steps were of brass also. Brazen thresholds are Homeric, e. g. Od. 7. 89, of the palace of Alcinous, ἀργύρεοι δὲ σταθμοὶ ἐν χαλκέῳ ἕστασαν οὐδῷ, a passage which may have been in Virg.'s mind. The next clause presents a greater difficulty. All the first-class MSS. seem to have ‘nexaeque’ (Wagn. excepts fragm. Vat., but Ribbeck is silent); ‘nixaeque’ is mentioned by Serv., found in some MSS., and adopted by Wagn. (ed. mi.), Forb., Henry, Ladewig, and Haupt. The external authority is quite sufficient to support the change, which is itself a very natural one (see on 4. 217., 5. 279, G. 4. 257); but its advocates are not agreed on the sense. Henry and Forb. take ‘trabes’ of the beams of the roof, which rest on brazen columns. Wagn. makes ‘trabes’ the doorposts, and understands ‘nixae aere’ in the sense of “stantes erectae aere,” simply a periphrasis for ‘brazen.’ Ladewig makes ‘trabes’ the architrave, which rests on pillars or jambs of brass. Of these the third seems the only one that can stand, the first being objectionable as introducing a particular about the rest of the building between two particulars about the door; the second as giving a forced and unnatural sense to ‘nixae aere.’ Understanding ‘trabes’ with Wagn. of the doorposts, I believe ‘nexae aere’ stands for “aeratae,” as “vinctae” or “iunctae” might have done, the word being employed, not only to express the coherence of the plating with the thing plated, but to indicate the coherence of the posts with the threshold and the lintel, much as in Soph. El. 837 (which Wund. comp.) χρυσοδέτοις ἕρκεσι is used of the necklace of Eriphyle, in the sense of ‘gold-binding,’ rather than in that of ‘gold-bound.’ Perhaps Claud. Rapt. Pros. 1. 237 (cited by Heyne) means the same thing when he says “ferrati postes inmensaque nectit Claustra chalybs,” ‘strengthens and fastens them, so as to make them good fasteners.’ ‘Surgebant’ is probably to be supplied to ‘trabes;’ but ‘nexae aere’ will still be a predicate.
[449] ‘The doors with their grating hinges were of brass.’ We hear both of brazen and of brass-bound doors. The conjunction of brazen doors with brassplated jambs seems merely a variety. “Stridentes cardine portae,” 6. 573.
[452] There seems no reason for separating ‘confidere’ from ‘adflictis rebus,’ and taking the latter as “in adflictis rebus,” as the commentators propose. The sense appears to be, “confidere fortunae quae adhuc adversa fuerat.”
[453] These representations are probably on the doors or external walls of the temple. Comp. the sculptures mentioned G. 3. 26, A. 6. 20. ‘Sub’ then will express that Aeneas is looking up. Heyne discusses in an excursus the question whether these were sculptures or paintings, observing that the former was the only mode of representation known in the Homeric times, and that other poets, such as Val. Fl. 5. 411 foll., Sil. 3. 32 foll., describe similar temples with sculptures; but that the latter is more suited to the language of the present passage, and would be a natural anachronism, paintings on temple-walls or in porticoes being common in later times. There is a similar question about the description of the temple of Delphi in the Ion of Euripides.
[454] It has been asked how Aeneas knew that Dido was coming. Probably the idea is that he sees the senate assembled and the crowd waiting. ‘Quae Fortuna sit urbi miratur,’ for “miratur Fortunam urbis,” marvels at the prosperity of the city, shown in the splendour of its temple. Aeneas sees everything in the light of his own great enterprise; so his thoughts would naturally pass from the temple to the city, of whose greatness it is an evidence. For ‘Fortuna,’ see on G. 4. 209.
[455] Artificum manus inter se, ‘the skill of the rival artists,’ which he compares together. One or two MSS. have ‘intra se,’ whence Ribbeck needlessly and unpoetically conjectures ‘intrans.’ ‘Manus’ of skill 12. 210, as elsewhere of strength. ‘Operumque laborem’ probably refers to the magnitude of work rather than to the elaborate detail. Comp. G. 2. 155, “Adde tot egregias urbes operumque laborem.”
[456] ‘He sees the battles and heroes of the Trojan war.’
[457] This line gives the reason why the battles have been painted, and prepares us for the thoughts that follow.
[458] The two Atridæ are first mentioned in the enumeration of the heroes, then Priam; after which Achilles is naturally introduced as ‘saevus ambobus,’ i. e. to the Atridae no less than to Priam. This seems a sufficient explanation of the loose use of ‘ambobus,’ with which ἀμφοτέροις in Od. 4. 339 has been aptly compared. The other objection that Achilles' quarrel was with Agamemnon alone, is of little weight, as the brothers were united in interest, and Menelaus as the husband of Helen suffered most. Achilles includes both in his taunts Il. 1. 159., 9. 340. Sen. Ep. 104 quotes the passage with ‘Atriden.’
[459] Iam, by this time. ‘What place is there left which is not full &c.?’
[460] Nostri laboris, our sorrows. “Et breviter Troiae supremum audire laborem,” 2. 11.
[461] ‘Here too worth finds its due reward, here too there are tears for human fortune, and hearts which are touched by mortality.’ ‘Laus’ of worth 5. 355.
[462] Rerum v. 178 above.
