[105] Φαέθων is the Homeric and Hesiodic epithet of the sun (Il. 11. 735 &c.), and is used by later writers as a name of the sun-god (e. g. Val. Fl. 3. 213, “trepidam Phaethon adflavitabalto Tisiphonen”). This is doubtless its sense here, as a reference to the adventure of the legendary Phaethon with his father's horses would be obviously out of place. As Gossrau remarks, the epithets of the gods were not unfrequently made into children of the gods, demi-gods, &c. In Od. 23. 244 foll. the dawn-goddess has horses of her own, one of which is actually called Phaethon. ‘Serena luce:’ abl. of circumstance.
[107]
I have restored ‘conplebant’ for
‘conplerant’ from Med. and two other
MSS. Perhaps it is scarcely worth while,
as the transciber may have altered the
less usual form; but there is a slight advantage
in the imperfect, which is thus
shown to be the effect of which the pluperfect
‘excierat’ is the cause. The
whole passage, and this line in particular,
seems to be imitated from Catull. 62 (64).
31 foll.:
“Quae simul optatae finito tempore luces
Advenere, domum conventu tota frequentat
Thessalia: oppletur laetanti regia coetu.
”
[108] “‘Visuri Aeneadas:’ expressit plenissimam laudem Troianorum,” Donatus. We may remember that Virg. might have said “Visuri ludos.” ‘Certare parati:’ comp. E. 7. 5.
[109] The enumeration of the prizes is from Il. 23. 259 foll., though the details are not the same. ‘Circo:’ we must either suppose Virg. to have forgotten himself here, as it is not until v. 289, after the ship-race is over, that they go into the circus, or take ‘circo’ of the concourse of people, used perhaps proleptically. Hom. l. c. has ἵζανεν εὐρὺν ἀγῶνα.
[110] Tripods are given in Hom. vv. 259, 264 &c. ‘Sacri,’ to be used in sacrifice.
[111] The ‘palmae’ (G. 3. 12 note), a post-Homeric institution, were confined to the conquerors: see below, vv. 472, 519.
[112] Perfusae, dyed or saturated. “Omne genus perfusa coloribus in genere omni” Lucr. 2.821. ‘Talenta’ fragm. Vat., Rom., ‘talentum’ Med., Pal., Gud. The latter was restored by Wagn., but Ribbeck seems right in recalling the former, as it appears from v. 248 that the crew of each ship received a talent of silver, unless Heyne is right in supposing that a talent was divided among the crews. Hom. talks of two talents of gold. The meaning then will be that there was several talents' weight of gold and silver (comp. 10. 526, 531), the talent of course not being a coin but a weight. In 11. 333, “aurique eborisque talenta,” ‘talenta’ seems to be dual, denoting a talent's weight of each.
[113] The trumpet, as is well known, is not heroic, appearing only in a Homeric simile; but it was one of the ways of commencing the shows at the circus. Gossrau refers to Pliny 2. 7, “numquam tubarum sonum nisi in spectaculis audierunt.” ‘Committere ludos’ occurs in Cic. ad Q. 3. 4 6, Fin. 3. 2. 8. ‘Medio aggere,’ a mound in the centre of the company, perhaps the same as in v. 44.
[114-123] ‘The first is a race of four ships from the fleet, commanded respectively by Mnesthus, Gyas, Sergestus, and Cloanthus, founders of great Roman houses.’
