[1, 2]
Ora tenere is not, as in G. 4. 483, equivalent to “linguam continere,” but means ‘to hold the countenance in attention,’ as in 7. 250 (where observe the epithet “defixa,” and comp. 6. 156), 8. 520. ‘Intenti’ then must be taken adverbially as part of the predicate, like “defixi” in the passage last referred to. Silent attention is however the general notion: and it is probable that Virg. did not carefully distinguish the two senses of ‘ora.’ See 1. 256, “oscula libavit.”
[3-13] ‘The story is a painful one, but I will tell it.’
[3] Imitated from Od. 7. 241, ἀργαλέον, βασίλεια, διηνεκέως ἀγορεῦσαι Κήδἐ: the conception of the speech itself however is of course taken from Ulysses' later narrative, books 9—12. Observe the order: ‘Too cruel to be told, great queen, is the sorrow you bid me revive.’ ‘Infandum,’ note on 1. 525. The word here seems to bear its transferred as well as its original sense.
[4] Ut follows ‘renovare dolorem,’ which is practically equivalent to ‘narrare,’ as it is in telling about sorrow once felt that the renewal of the pain consists. Häckermann, followed by Ladewig, Haupt, and Ribbeck, ingeniously puts a period after ‘dolorem,’ so as to connect ‘ut . . . fui’ with ‘quis talia fando,’ v. 6, the sentence thus created being a sort of expansion of v. 3, ‘fando’ answering to ‘infandum:’ but this, though rhetorically effective, would be hardly in Virg.'s manner, while it would detract from the propriety of the clause ‘quaeque . . . fui,’ if indeed it would not lead us rather to expect ‘viderim . . . fuerim.’ I am glad to see that Wagn. (Lectt. Vergg. p. 415) defends the old pointing on similar grounds. ‘Lamentabile’ is used proleptically. ‘How the power of Troy and its empire met with piteous overthrow from the Danaans.’
[5] Quaeque—et quorum, &c., also epexegetical of ‘dolorem,’ which is first explained generally, then limited, as Henry remarks, to the scenes which Aeneas witnessed and those in which he took an active part—his personal narrative.
[6] Pars magna. Comp. 10. 426, “Lausus, Pars ingens belli,” G. 2. 40. ‘Fando,’ in the course of speaking, v. 81. Wagn. aptly refers to Livy 8. 17., 21. 34, for instances of this use of the gerund in prose, illustrating it also by an imitation of this passage in Sil. 2. 651, “quis tristia fata piorum Inperet evolvens lacrimis?” which shows that it is equivalent to the present participle.
[7] Myrmidonum Dolopumve, not constructed with ‘miles.’ The Myrmidons and Dolopes (Il. 9. 484) were the soldiers of Achilles, the greatest, and Neoptolemus, the most savage, enemy of Troy. So the epithet ‘duri’ is intended to mark the soldier by the general, perhaps with a reference to his Homeric title πολύτλας: see on 3. 94.
[8] Et iam, an additional reason for declining the task: imitated from Od. 11. 330, where Ulysses breaks off in the middle of his narrative with a similar excuse.
[9] Praecipitat is hurrying down the steep of the sky, midnight being past. Possibly also it denotes the fall of the dew, being connected with ‘humida,’ as “ruit” is with “imbriferum,” G. 1. 313. For the intrans. use of the verb comp. Cic. de Orat. 3. 55, 209, “sol praccipitans me admonuit.”
[10] Od. 11. 380. ‘Amor,’ as in 6. 133, where it is immediately explained by “cupido.” For the construction, see on G. 1. 213.
[11] Supremum laborem, its destruction, as “dies supremus” is the day of death, and “sors suprema” (5. 190) the final doom. Claud. Eutrop. 2. 289, “Phrygiae casus venisse supremos.” ‘Labor’ by itself means no more than πόνος or μόχθος in Greek, sorrow or suffering, 1. 597., 2. 362., 4. 78., 9. 202. ‘To hear the brief tale of Troy's last agony.’
[12] Muretus thinks this passage imitated from Cic. Phil. 14. 3, “refugit animus, P. C., eaque formidat dicere.” It is itself imitated by Sen. Ag. 417, “refugit loqui Mens aegra tantis atque inhorrescit malis,” which seems to show, as Wund. thinks, that ‘refugit’ as well as ‘horret’ goes with ‘meminisse.’ The perf. seems best explained as expressing the instantaneous and instinctive action of the feeling. Prof. Munro comp. Sen. H. F. 1200, “quid hoc? manus refugit: hic errat scelus,” where however the structure of the sentence makes the tense more explicable. Weidner thinks ‘horret’ is a sort of perf. of “horrescit,” and so explains its combination with ‘refugit,’ appealing ingeniously to Sen. Ag. l. c., where ‘inhorrescit’ is coupled with ‘refŭgit,’ the pres. He explains ‘refugit’ on the analogy of δέδοικα &c., a single past act leading to a continuing state.
[13-39] ‘Despairing of reducing Troy by siege, the Greeks feign departure, having first built a wooden horse, which they fill with armed men, and leave behind them as a pretended offering to Pallas. We pour out of the town, and question what should be done with the horse, some being for taking it in, others for destroying it.’
[13] Incipiam appears rightly understood by Henry, ‘I will essay,’ rather than ‘I will begin.’ E. 5. 10, G. 1. 5, Lucr. 1. 55. So the ordinary sense of “inceptum.” ‘Fracti,’ nearly the same as “fessi,” v. 109, but stronger. ‘Repulsi,’ beaten back from the attack on Troy.
[14] Ductores Danaum, Lucr. 1.86. ‘Labentibus,’ the present, is to be distinguished from “lapsis,” though the stress falls as much on ‘tot’ and ‘iam.’ ‘Now that the flying years had begun to number so many.’
[15] ‘Instar montis,’ with reference to the height rather than to the bulk. So 9. 674, “abietibus iuvenes patriis et montibus aequos,” and Od. 9. 191., 10. 113, where the Cyclops and the queen of the Laestrygonians are compared to mountains. Comp. also vv. 186, 187, “Hanc tamen inmensam Calchas attollere molem Roboribus textis caeloque educere iussit.” ‘Divina Palladis arte’ is a translation of Eur. Tro. 10, μηχαναῖσι Παλλάδος. Hom. Od. 8. 493 has τὸν Ἐπειὸς ἐποίησεν σὺν Ἀθήνῃ. Pallas is selected from the deities favourable to the Greeks as the patroness of art. So she is the builder of the Argo, the first ship. See the next note. Rom. has ‘divinae.’
[16] Aedificant and ‘intexunt’ are both terms of ship-building. Catull. 62 (64). 9, “Ipsa (Pallas) levi fecit volitantem flamine currum, Pinea coniungens inflexae texta carinae,” which Virg. perhaps had in his mind. See further on 11. 326. Even ‘costa’ is used in speaking of a ship, Pers. 6. 31. Lucr. 5.1297 has “in equi conscendere costas.” ‘Intexunt’ form by interlacing, 6. 315., 10. 785, ‘abiete’ being instr. abl. But for these parallels, ‘secta abiete’ might be, as has been suggested to me, material abl. with ‘costas,’ ‘intexunt’ meaning interweave with the horse. ‘Intexunt’ has nearly the force of “intertexunt,” as “insere” G. 2. 302 of “intersere.”
[17] Votum, to Pallas, as explained v. 183. Serv. quotes from Attius (Deiph. fr. 1), “Minervae donum armipotenti hoc abeuntes Danai dicant,” which he says was the inscription on the horse; and so Hyginus (fab. 108), “In equo scripserunt; Danai Minervae dono dant.” Pallas is sent down, Il. 2. 156, to prevent the Greeks from departing. The custom of making vows for a safe return is largely illustrated by Cerda. Taubmann quotes an epigrammatic expression from Petronius, “in voto latent (Danai).” ‘Ea fama vagatur:’ the emphasis is on ‘ea’ rather than on ‘vagatur.’ ‘Such is the story they spread,’ not ‘the story spreads far and wide.’ So “fama volat,” 3. 121.
[18] Huc is further defined by ‘caeco lateri’ (“huc includunt,” G. 2. 76), a mode of expression illustrated by Wagn. on E. 1. 54, and not unlike the double acc. in Greek, τύπτω σε κεφαλήν. ‘Delecta virum corpora:’ Od. 4. 272, ἵππῳ ἔνι ξεστῷ ἵν᾽ ἐνήμεθα πάντες ἄριστοι Ἀργείων. Thus ‘sortiti’ must mean simply ‘having picked out,’ as in G. 3. 71, unless we suppose a ‘sortitio’ to have taken place among the ‘delecti,’ so as to assign to some their places in the horse, while others, such as Agamemnon and Diomede, remained to organize the forces at Tenedos, ‘Delecti’ is the epithet of the chieftains at Aulis, Lucr. 1.86. In Od. 8. 495, Ulysses is the main agent in putting the warriors into the horse, which he enters himself. ‘Corpora,’ periphrastic, like δέμας, 5. 318., 6. 22, 391., 7. 650., 10. 430, though in each case there is of course a special significance in the word, as here to suggest the notion of occupying space.
[19, 20] Henry seems right in taking the latter part of the sentence as simply explanatory of the former, the ‘armato milite’ being identical with the ‘delecta corpora,’ but it is not so certain that these are summed up in the nine who come out of the horse in v. 260, as vv. 328, 401, would lead us to suppose that the number was larger, even if we do not suppose Virg. to be in agreement with Hom., who in Od. 4. 287, mentions one, Anticlus, not included in Virg.'s list. ‘Penitus’ goes with ‘conplent.’
