[288] ‘Pons’ in a ship was the bridge for landing; the Greek ἀποβάθρα. “(Navis) expositis stabat scalis et ponte parato” v. 654 below. ‘Servare recursus Languentis pelagi,’ ‘watched for the moment when the waves returned feebler’ (‘languentis’ gen. sing., not acc. plur. with ‘recursus’). We need not (with Wagn.) suppose any reference to the rising of the tide.
[289, 290] ‘Languentes’ Gud. originally. ‘Brevibus’ 1. 111 note. ‘Others slide down the oars on to the beach’ seems to be the meaning of ‘per remos alii:’ the notion of ‘se credere brevibus’ being continued. Heyne thinks they used the oars as leaping-poles, which is less likely. ‘Speculatus’ 7. 477, “arte nova speculata loum.”
[291] Spirant is found in Med. alone of the better MSS., though it seems to have been the original reading of one of Ribbeck's cursives. His other MSS. agree in ‘sperat,’ which Serv. prefers, and he adopts. The preference of Serv. however rests only on internal grounds, about which we may or may not agree with him: so that we have simply to choose between two ancient readings. Either would make sufficiently good sense: but ‘spirant’ is neater and more poetical. Comp. G. 1. 327, “fervetque fretis spirantibus aequor,” on which Serv. cites the present passage with no hint of a variety of reading. Heins. first restored ‘spirant.’ Some copies mentioned by Pierius had ‘spumant.’
[292] Inoffensum passive: ‘not struck upon anything.’ So “inoffensae vitae” Ov. 1 Trist. 9. 1 (Cerda). ‘Crescenti’ of the gradual spread of the water on a smooth surface, not of the rising of the tide (see on v. 288).
[293] Proras Med. first reading, Pal., Gud., and three other of Ribbeck's cursives: ‘prora’ Rom., ‘proram’ Med. second reading, and so Ribbeck, perhaps rightly: for the sing. gives better sense, Tarchon being distinguished from his followers and ‘proras’ might be due to the initial ‘s’ of the following word (see Wagn. Q. V. 9. 11), ‘am’ being written ‘ã.’ So ‘puppes’ (puppis) given by Pal. and Rom. for ‘puppim’ v. 297 may be due to the ‘s’ of ‘statione.’ Serv. is silent here. It may be replied however that Tarchon first orders all the ships to steer in a particular direction, and then bids them row hard: so that on the whole it seems safer to retain ‘proras.’
[294-296] “Validisque incumbere remis” 5. 15. “‘Tollite, ferte’ ad celeritatem nimiam dictum est,” Serv. ‘Tollite’ as we talk of lifting a boat. “Concussoque ratem gauderem tollere remo” Val. Fl. 1. 339. “‘Findite’ militari felle dietum, ut etiam terra ipsa quodammodo sentiat hostis adventum.” Serv. ‘Sulcus’ must stand for the trough in which a ship was drawn up on shore: (can we comp. the Greek ὁλκὸς νεῶν, ναυστάθμων Eur. Rhes. 146, 673, Hdt. 2. 154, 159?) ‘let the keel make a trough for itself.’
[297] So Brasidas, Thuc. 4. 11, ἐβόα λέγων ὡς οὐκ εἰκὸς εἴη ξύλων φειδομένους τοὺς πολεμίους ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ περιιδεῖν τεῖχος πεποιημένους, ἀλλὰ τάς τε σφετέρας ναῦς βιαζομενους τὴν ἀπόβασιν καταγνύναι ἐκέλευε &c. ‘Puppes’ Pal., Rom., Gud. corrected: ‘puppim’ Med. and originally Gud., with another of Ribbeck's cursives: see on v. 293. ‘Statione’ as in 2. 23, G. 4. 421. ‘Tali statione’ = ‘if the roadstead be the land we covet.’
[298, 299] Arripere as in 3. 477. ‘Quae talia’ as 7. 21 (note) “quae ne monstra pii paterentur talia Teucri.” Virg. has combined two formulae which he elsewhere separates. Comp. Cic. 2 Phil. 29, “quibus rebus tantis talibusque gestis,” where however there is a rhetorical propriety which here is wanting.
[301] Siccum G. 1. 363., 3. 433. ξερὸν ἠπείροιο Od. 5. 402. With ‘sedere’ comp. “portuque sedetis” 7. 201. ‘Sedere’ may be referred here indifferently to ‘sedeo’ or ‘sido.’
[302] Innocue Med. a m. p. and Gud. (in v. 161 the same copies read “opace,” in v. 320 “valide”); ‘innocuae’ is supported by Nonius 444. 27, and apparently by Serv. The passive use of ‘innocuus’ is poetical: Forc. quotes “fida per innocuas errent incendia turres” Claudian (de Cons. Mallii Theodori 330), from whom Gossr. gives two other instances.
[303] Vadis Med., Rom., Pal. corrected, and Gud.; ‘vadi’ Pal. originally, and so apparently some in the time of Serv., who says “Probus vadis (vadi?) dorso pro vado dictum putat, ut in Georgicis (3. 436) dorsum nemoris.” Ribbeck adopts ‘vadi.’ “Inliditque vadis atque aggere eingit arenae” 1. 112. ‘Dersum,’ a hard sand-bank on which the ship hangs and splits in two: comp. 1. 110, where it is used of a reef of rocks. ‘Iniquo,’ because it will not allow the ship to right itself.
[304] Sustentata by its position on the sand-bank. ‘Fluctus fatigat,’ beats the waves as it sways to and fro. Serv. makes ‘fluctus’ nem.
[305] Solvitur by the ferce of the waves.
[307] Pedes Med. first reading, Pal., Rom., and Gud.; ‘pedem’ Med. second reading, one of Ribbeck's cursives corrected, and some inferior copies: so Heins. and all subsequent editors. It may be, as Wagn. supposes, that the reading ‘pedes’ was due to the initial ‘s’ of ‘simul:’ but the pl. gives the better sense, while the repetition of sibilants in ‘pedes simul unda relabens’ is appropriate in a verse which describes the rolling back of a wave. Comp. the sound of 11. 627, “aestu revoluta resorbens Saxa fugit.”
[308-361] ‘The battle begins on the shore. Aeneas encounters and kills Theron, Lichas, Cisseus, Gyas, and Pharus. He would have slain Cydon had not his seven brothers come up to his assistance. They attack Aeneas all at once: Maeon is killed, Alcanor has his right arm cut off, and Numitor only succeeds in wounding Achates. On the other side are conspicuous Clausus of Cures (who kills Dryopes and some others), Halaesus, and Messapus.’
