Virg. G. iv. 281-558. Mythology, p. 294-296. This tale, after all, gives not the reason why the ox was offered in sacrifice.
381. Some popular legend probably assigned this silly cause.—Verbena, herbs gathered in a sacred place.
385. Persis, Persia.—Hyperiona, the Persian Mithras, the presiding deity of the Sun, identified by the Greeks with their god Helius, also called Hyperion.
387. Quod, because; given by Heinsius from the best MSS. others read _quaae.—Trip. Dianae, identifying her with Hecate. See above, v. 41.– Virgine, Iphigenia.
389. Sapaeos, a people of Thrace. Herod, vii. 110. Most MSS. have Sabaeos, or Saphaeos, but incorrectly.—Vidi. When Ovid was going into exile, at Tomi, A.U.C. 763, he passed through Thrace.
391. Custodi ruris, Priapus. This god who was chiefly worshiped at Lampsacus, was said to be the offspring of Bacchus and Venus. See Mythology, p. 205.
393. Festa, etc. the Trieterides, celebrated once in every three years.—Corymbiferi, Bacchus was frequently represented crowned with bunches of ivy-berries. Some MSS. read racemiferi.—Celebrabat, Heinsius, Burmann and Gierig, read celebrabas, on the authority of two MSS.
395. Di cultores Lycaei. Scil. the Pans and Satyrs, the gods of Arcadia. Gierig, on the authority of some of the best MSS. reads Lyaei. For Pan, etc. see Mythology, p. 198-205.
398. The Naïdes and other nymphs.
400. Priapus.
403. Parce is to be joined with miscendas.
407. That is, succincta.
410. Vincula nulla, they were barefoot. It is to be recollected that in the heroic ages, after which the poets modelled the life of the gods, the attendants at meals were females.
412. Pan.
414. Nequitia, lust.
420. She evinces her haughty contempt of him by her looks.
423. Ultima, the most remote.
425. Animam, his breath.
426. Digitis scil pedis, his toes. A beautiful description of one stealing on tip-toe.
436. Omne nemus, all the gods in the grove.
440. Hellesp. Deo. Priapus, the god of Lampsacus, on the Hellespont.
445. Linguae crimen. Still ascribing a revengeful character to the gods, he supposes them to be pleased with the sacrifice of the birds, who revealed their intentions to mankind.
447. Dis ut proxima. Flying high towards heaven. "Ye birds, That singing up to heaven gate ascend."—Milton.
448. Penna, the Praepetes; ore, the oscines, as they were styled in language of augury.
453. See Liv. v. 47, for this well-known story.
454. Inachi lauta. Isis the Egyptian deity, supposed to be the same with Io, the daughter of the river-god, Inachus. See Met. I. 747, et seq. Mythology, 367.—Lauta, dainty, as lautioribus cibis utens, such as the livers of geese. Isis was much worshiped at Rome at this time.
455. Deae Nocti. A cock was sacrificed to Night, as being odious to her.—Ales, like the Greek [Greek: ornis], the bird [Greek: kat exochaen].
456. Tepidum diem, the dawn, warm after the chill of the night.– Provocat, calls forth.
457. The cosmic rising of the Dolphin, on the ninth of January.
459. Postera lux, the tenth of January, which, according to the poet, was the bruma, or middle of winter. Columella and Ptolemy place it on the 4th January, the day before the Nones; Pliny, xviii. 5, makes it the viii. Kal. Jan. or 25th December.
461. Aurora. Heinsius, Burmann and Gierig read nupta, on the authority of seven MSS.
462. The Carmentalia, on the 10th, or III. Id. of January.—Arcad. deae. Carmenta, the mother of Evander; her altar was at the Carmental gate, at the foot of the Capitol.
463. Turni soror, Juturna. See Virg. aen. xii. 134, et seq.
464. The temple of Juturna stood in the Campus Martius, by the Aqua Virgo, which Agrippa had brought thither on account of its excellence.
467. Quae nomen, etc. Scil. Carmenta.
496, 470. Orta, etc. The Arcadians called themselves [Greek: proselaenous] as having existed before the Moon.—Tellus, scil. gens.—Areade, Arcas, the son of Jupiter and Callisto. See Met. II. 401, et seq. Mythology, p. 387.
471. Evander was the son of Mercury and Carmenta. According to Servius, on the aeneis, his father was Echemus, and I am inclined to think that Ovid followed this last genealogy.
473. aetherios ignes, the inspiration of the god.
474. Plena may be joined either with carmina, or with the nominative to dabat.
475. Motus, civil discord.
475. Time verified her predictions.
478. Parrhasium, for Arcadian, part for the whole. Evander dwelt at Pallantium.
490. See Met. III. init. Mythology, 291.
491. Iason is always a trisyllable. For Tydeus and Jason, see Mythology under their names.
493. [Greek: Apas men aaer aieto perasimos, Apasa de chthon andri gennaio patris]. Eurip. frag. Comp. Hor. Carm. II. 9.
494. Vacuo, etc. the air.
495. Hor. Carm. II. 10. 15.
498. Hesperiam tenet. He reaches Italy, not, as Gierig understands it, he held his course for Italy.
500. Sailed up against the stream,—Tuscis, as flowing by Etruria.
501. There was a place in the Campus Martius, named Terentum, where was an altar of Dis and Proserpine, at which secular games were celebrated. I rather incline to think with Gierig, that the vada Terenti was a part of the river near the Terentum.
502. The abodes of the Aborigines.
503-508. The furor divinus comes over her; her hair is disheveled; her countenance becomes stern; by signs she directs the steersman to turn the ship to the land; she is hardly restrained from jumping out of the vessel.
510. Romulus and the Caesars—the flattery of the poet.
511. Hospita, stranger.
515-518. The future greatness of Rome.
519. The fleet of Aeneas. All the following events occur in the last six books of the Aeneis.
520. Femina, Lavinia.
521. Pallas, the son of Evander, slain by Turnus, and avenged by Aeneas.
523, 524. The future conquest of Greece by the Romans. Virg. aen. I. 283.
525. Troy was walled by Neptune. Eight MSS. read moenia for Pergama.
526. Num, etc. Are those ashes (of Troy) nevertheless not higher than the whole world? i.e. Will not Rome spring from them?
527. A tradition, followed by Cato, Strabo, Dio Cassius, and others, related that Anchises came to Italy. Perhaps Ovid followed the same tradition.
528. According to Dionysius. (I. 67,) the temple of the Penates, whom Aeneas brought from Troy, was near that of Vesta. Others (Tacit. An. xv. 41) thought that they were in the temple of that goddess.
529. Julius Caesar who was Pontifex Maximus, and was deified after his death. Some think it is Augustus who is meant.
531. Augustos seems to be equivalent to Caesares.
532. Hanc domum, scil: the Caesarian.
533. Tiberius, by adoption the son of Augustus, and grandson of Julius Caesar,