[42] Primo Oriente: see on 3. 588. ‘Cum primo’ is doubtless meant to recall “cum primum.”
[43] Litore ab omni: they would naturally be lodged near their ships.
[44] Aeneas speaks from a mound, like a Roman general, as Heyne remarks.
[45] “Genus alto a sanguine Teucri” 6. 500 note. Some MSS. have ‘Teucri’ here. The Trojans are called the descendants of the gods, because Dardanus was the son of Jupiter, 7. 219.
[46] Comp. 1. 269. ‘Exactis mensibus’ G. 3. 139.
[47] “Stant Manibus arae Caeruleis maestae vittis atraque cupresso,” 3. 63.
[49] Wagn. has restored ‘nisi fallor’ from Med., Rom., Pal., &c, for ‘ni fallor,’ the old reading. Either might stand. Serv. has a curious fancy that the saving clause is thrown in on account of the confusion in the calendar which existed before Cæsar. ‘Iamque dies adest:’ the day on which he is speaking is the actual anniversary: comp. 104 below, “exspectata dies aderat.”
[50] Sic di voluistis is a formula of resignation. Standing where it does, it seems to mean that the gods willed the day to be one which should excite mingled grief and reverence, by willing the event which invested it with that character.
[51] Hunc with ‘agerem.’ To understand ‘agerem’ as = ‘essem’ and explain ‘hunc’ by an anacoluthon, as if Virg. had intended to end with ‘celebrarem,’ which is Heyne and Wagn.'s view, is to introduce a needless irregularity. Aeneas' language is of course hyperbolical, his meaning being that he would celebrate the anniversary under the most adverse circumstances. The Gaetulian Syrtes, like the Argive (Aegaean) sea, are doubtless chosen as associated not only with natural dangers, but with human enemies.
[52] ‘Deprensus,’ surprised, not however by a storm, which is a common application of the word (see G. 4. 421, where I have too hastily referred to this line as parallel), but by the arrival of the day at an inopportune time. So Heyne, rightly. ‘Et’ couples Mycenae with the Aegaean as distinguished from Aeneas' African foes. ‘Mycenae’ Med., Pal., Gud., from a nom. ‘Mycena;’ ‘Mycenis’ Rom. Other variations are ‘Mycene,’ ‘Mycena.’ With the gen. comp. “urbem Patavi” 1. 247.
[53] Pompa is to be understood strictly, of a funeral procession. Here as elsewhere Virg. is thinking of Roman observances. ‘Sollemnis pompas’ G. 3. 22. ‘Ordine’ = “rite,” as in 3. 548.
[54] Exsequi of funerals: see Forc. ‘Struere,’ to pile up: 1. 704. ‘Suis’ = “debitis,” as in 6. 142. ‘Altaria’ here and in v. 93 seems to be used vaguely for ‘arae,’ if the view is true which restricts ‘altaria’ to the superior gods.
[55] Ultro has its primitive sense of ‘beyond.’ ‘Not only has the day returned, bringing back its obligations, which I should have discharged in any case, but more than this, a thing which we had no right to expect, we are at the very spot.’ See on 2. 145. ‘Ipsius’ virtually = ‘ipsos.’
[56] It is true, as Forb. contends, that ‘equidem’ may be used with other persons than the 1st sing.; but that is no reason for taking it with ‘adsumus’ here, when usage is in favour of taking it with ‘reor.’ Comp. 6. 848, G. 1. 415, where, as here, the clause is constructed parenthetically. Comp. also 4. 45, “Dis equidem auspicibus reor et Junone secunda Hunc cursum Iliacas vento tenuisse carinas.” ‘Haud’ goes not with ‘reor’ but with ‘sine mente’ &c. The confusion of the order, which may readily be paralleled, is easily accounted for by supposing a half confusion between the two modes of expression, ‘reor’ parenthetical and ‘reor adesse.’ ‘Mente’ with ‘divom,’ like ‘numine.’ “Deorum mente atque ratione omnem mundum administrari et regi” Cic. N. D. 1. 2. “Sine mente sonum” occurs 10. 640 of a voice without meaning. “Sine numine divom” 2. 777, ‘numen’ meaning will or purpose, as in 2. 123 note. It is the Homeric οὐκ ἀέκητι θεῶν.
[57] “Delati portus intravimus” 3. 219. Lachm. on Lucr. 5.396 explains ‘intramus’ as a contraction for ‘intravimus;’ but it seems more likely that a poet like Virg. should have simply used the present for the perf., as is frequently done by Pope and his school.
[58] Cuncti laetum, the order before Heins., seems to have little or no authority. ‘Laetum honorem:’ Aeneas means to say, Let our service be a cheerful one: the gods have done well in bringing us here, and are intending to do well to us hereafter. The word ‘laetus’ is rather a common one in connexion with sacrifices, e. g. 8. 267 (where “celebratus honos” is found), 279 (comp. ‘volentes’ ib. 275).
[59] It is natural enough, as the later commentators remark against Heyne, that the Trojans should take this opportunity of asking for a prosperous voyage, especially as the satisfactory observance of this sacred anniversary is in the next clause adroitly made conditional on their landing in Italy. But a question still remains, whether the prayer is made to the winds themselves, or to Anchises. The latter interpretation, which perhaps is that more obviously suggested by the context, was evidently maintained by Lactantius, who says of Anchises (Inst. 1. 15) “cui Aeneas non tantum inmortalitatem, verum etiam ventorum tribuit potestatem.” Klausen too, in his work on Aeneas and the Penates, considers that Anchises is recognized as a god of the winds. On the other hand offerings were made as a fact to the winds themselves at the end of the ceremonies to Anchises, v. 772 below, as we have seen done already 3. 115 foll., where “placemus ventos” is like ‘poscamus ventos’ here. Possibly too Virg. may have had in his mind the prayer which Achilles offers to the winds just before the funeral of Patroclus, Il. 23. 194, though the object there is quite different. For ‘me’ some MSS. and Lact. l. c. have ‘mea,’ which has found its way into some editions.
[60] The abl. abs. ‘urbe posita’ really contains the gist of the prayer. In Soph. El. 457 Electra prays for victory over her mother and Aegisthus that she may be able to honour her father better.
[61] Acestes, like a true son of Troy, supplies the materials for the sacrifice. ‘Troia generatus’ shows the spirit in which the present is made, like “dederatque abeuntibus heros” 1. 196, also of Acestes. With the division according to ships comp. 1. 193.
[62]
Capita of animals numerically,
3. 391. Virg. was also thinking of βοῶν
ἴφθιμα κάρηνα Il. 23. 360 (the book of the
Games for Patroclus), which Heyne compares.
‘Adhibete’ with ‘epulis,’ as in
Hor. 4 Od. 5. 32, “Te mensis adhibet
deum,” comp. by Heyne. ‘Adhibere’ is
correlative to ‘adesse,’ being the word
for invoking or inviting the presence of
the gods. Comp. (with Forb.) Ov. F. 4.
827 foll.:—
“Vox fuit haec regis: Condenti, Iuppiter,
urbem,
Et genitor Mavors, Vestaque mater
ades,
Quosque pium est adhibere deos, advertite
cuncti:
Auspicibus vobis hoc mihi surgat
opus.
”
[64] This use of ‘si’ where ‘cum’ might have been expected has given some trouble to the commentators. Serv. suggests that the contingency may lie in the word ‘almum’—if the day should be fine. It would seem to be a modest, perhaps religious way of speaking of a future event. “Nam, si luxerit, ad librariorum curram scrinia” Catull. 14. 17. Other instances given in Forc. are perhaps to be explained somewhat differently. ‘Nona:’ the ninth day after the anniversary. Virg. is here thinking of the ‘novemdiale,’ the festival on the ninth day after death, when the mourning ceremonies were brought to an end. There was another festival of a different kind which bore the same name, lasting nine days, and Virg. seems to have blended the characteristics of the two: see v. 762. We may comp., as the commentators have done, Il. 24. 664 foll., where Priam proposes that the mourning for Hector should last nine days, the burial and funeral feast take place on the tenth, and the tomb be raised on the eleventh.
[65] See 4. 119 note.
[66] Prima doubtless means first in order, though the other games are not distinguished numerically. ‘Ponam certamina:’ note on G. 2. 530. ‘Certamina classis’ for ‘certamina navium,’ the collective noun for the distributive, not merely for metrical purposes, but because the race was open to the whole fleet, and, as we might say, an encouragement to the naval interest. See v. 115.
[67] Pedum cursu 7. 807. ‘Viribus audax,’ βίῃ πεποιθώς.
[68] In the actual games the ‘caestus’ precedes the archery. ‘Iaculo’ seems to point to a different kind of contest, throwing spears: comp. G. 2. 530, Il. 23. 884 foll., where a darting-match is proposed, but not carried out. Either Virg. has expressed himself loosely, or when he wrote this line he thought of introducing one more game. In any case ‘levibusque’ (Med., Pal.) seems better than ‘levibusve’ (Rom.). ‘Incedit’ is used rather strangely, as it can hardly refer to the way in which the competitors carry themselves during the contest, which is what we should have expected. Probably it is to be explained of the proud bearing of those who anticipate victory or have actually gained it. Comp. Hor. Epod. 15. 17, “quicunque es felicior atque meo nunc Superbus incedis malo.” ‘Melior iaculo’ like “haud furto melior sed fortibus armis” 10. 735. “Iaculo celerem levibusque sagittis” 9. 178.
[69] Aut and ‘seu’ are treated as equivalents, as in 12. 685, 686. ‘Crudo caestu’ G. 3. 20. ‘Fidit’ seems here = ‘audet.’ In Lucan 4. 615 “parum fidens pedibus contingere matrem,” the meaning appears to be that Antaeus placed little confidence in the fact that he touched his mother earth with his feet—a somewhat different use of the construction. In the two other instances of ‘fido’ with an inf. quoted by Forc. the inf. has a different subject.
[70] Praemia palmae G. 3. 49. Here there seems to be a confusion between two notions, the competitors awaiting the award of the prize of victory, which would fall to the one who deserved it, and the competitors looking forward to a number of prizes which would be awarded according to their several deserts.
[71]
Henry raises a question about the
meaning of ‘ore favete,’ which he thinks
has been wrongly interpreted of silence.
But a reference to Forc. ‘faveo,’ where
the matter is fully treated, will show that
the common interpretation is substantially
right. The point was that none but good
words should be uttered before a sacrifice,
and the spectators in consequence either
repeated what the priest said or did not
speak at all. It may be worth while to
extract in extenso two of the most important
passages which Forc. quotes. The
first is from Ov. M. 15. 677 foll.:—
“Et Deus en, Deus en, linguisque animisque
favete,
Quisquis ades, dixit. Sis, o pulcherrime,
visus
Utiliter, populosque iuves tua sacra colentis.
Quisquis adest, iussum venerantur numen,
et omnes
Verba sacerdotis referunt geminata,
piumque
Aeneadae praestant et mente et voce
favorem.
”
[72-103] ‘Having put on wreaths of myrtle, they proceed to the tomb. Aeneas pours libations, and addresses his father's shade. A large rainbow-hued serpent issues from the tomb, tastes the libations, and enters the tomb again. Aeneas, encouraged, pursues the ceremony, and sacrifices victims. A banquet succeeds the sacrifice.’
