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farenfcon
TIBULLUS AND PROPERTIUS
RAMS A Y
Bonbon
HENRY FROWDE
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE
AMEN CORNER, E.C.
MACMILLAN & CO., 66 FIFTH AVENUE
SELECTIONS
TIBULLUS AND PROPERTIUS
WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES
GEORGE GILBERT RAMSAY, M.A., LL.D., Lixx.D.
PROFESSOR OF LATIN IN THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
AUTHOR OF 'LATIN PROSE COMPOSITION,' F.DITOR OF 'LATIN VERSIONS'
SECOND EDITION, REVISED
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
1895
PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
BY HORACE HART. PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY
PREFACE.
THE following selection from Tibullus and Propertius
has been prepared specially to meet the wants of the
students of this University; but no apology need be
offered for any attempt, however imperfect, to rescue
from comparative neglect the best portions of two of the
most fascinating and suggestive of Latin poets, and to
supply such help for their interpretation as may bring
them within the range of ordinary classical instruction,
whether at Schools or Universities. It is scarcely credit-
able that in a country which avowedly places its higher
instruction upon a classical basis, the works of two of the
most characteristic poets of the best age of Latin poetry
should be practically unknown to our schools, and ignored
in University examinations. We may grant the tran-
scendent merits, for educational purposes, of Virgil and
of Horace ; but it is impossible not to regret that the choice
of Latin poets should run in so narrow a round, and that
no place should be found for the graceful, refined Tibullus,
or for that rare poetic genius whom Professor Postgate
has justly styled ' the greatest elegiac poet of Rome.'
The works of both poets, no doubt, need to be read
with discrimination, and lend themselves naturally to
vi PREFACE.
selection; but there are no poets who at once lose so
little, and gain so much, by the process. There is no
continuity of thought to be interrupted; the poems are
unequal in quality ; they are still more unequal in interest
of subject; and there is an iteration of topic which
becomes wearisome to the modern reader. It has been
the fashion to assert that Cynthia was the maker of the
muse of Propertius, and that when she failed him, his
poetic gift departed from him. But some of his noblest
poetry was written without reference to her ; and I
venture to think that if instead of leaving behind him
sixty Cynthia elegies, and thirty-one elegies on other
subjects, he had devoted but thirty-one elegies to Cynthia
and given the sixty to other and nobler topics, his rank as
a poet would have been higher than it is. And by dis-
carding the less interesting of the Cynthia poems, and
bringing into greater prominence the best of the re-
mainder, we arrive practically at the same result.
The objects aimed at in the present selection have
been these: (i) to include nothing that is not first-rate
in quality, and up to the highest standard of its author's
work ; (2) to include only poems of special interest,
whether from the nature of their subject, or from their
personal or historical references ; (3) to include nothing
that can occasion any difficulty in teaching classes com-
posed of the young of either sex. For educational pur-
poses, the last condition is indispensable ; more especially
in these days, when the classics are entering so largely into
PREFACE. vii
the higher education of women 1 . If the works of antiquity
are to be used for their true educational purpose, to form
the taste, and stimulate the imagination, of the young, it is
essential that we should present them in their best and
purest form, and draw an absolute line of demarcation
between the deformities and the beauties of ancient life
and literature. Not wholly uncalled-for is the Laureate's
denunciation of those who
Feed the budding rose of boyhood -with the drainage of your sewer ;
Pour the drain into the fountain, lest the stream should issue pure.
There are unhappily some modern editors who deem
it due to the spirit of research to rake out and illus-
trate all the foul corners of antiquity : there are some
who seem even to revel in the occupation 2 . Even
from a merely literary point of view, it may be doubted
whether we shall not more faithfully preserve the spirit of
an ancient author by omitting that which is repugnant
to modern notions, and which it is impossible for us to
judge justly, because we can never perfectly understand
the point of view from which it was written, never com-
pletely realise the surroundings to which it was addressed.
That freedom of speech which ancient taste permitted was
natural to a state of life and feeling which has now
1 It is to be regretted that those responsible for setting the subjects
for examinations in which women compete do not always sufficiently
bear this condition in view.
2 A recent German editor bitterly attacks the mediaeval critics
for finding some ancient passages too strong for their stomach.
viii PREFACE.
wholly passed away ; and to reproduce, in the atmosphere
of modern life, everything that an ancient writer held
himself free to say, may be to suggest a wholly false and
exaggerated view of his life and character 1 . Travellers
tell us that when living amongst unclothed savages they are
conscious of no sense of indelicacy : yet no sane man
would maintain that by discarding clothes we could re-
store the simple morality of our first parents. And of all
the purposes to which the study of antiquity can be
put, none less deserves our sympathy than that which
would use it to please the fancy of some prurient pedant,
or to reward the patient but foul research of some senile
commentator.
In compiling the explanatory notes, my object has been
to make them sufficient and interesting in themselves,
rather than to confine them within the meagre limits
prescribed by the prudence of modern publishers, or the
supposed requirements of schoolmasters and examiners.
So many subjects are now pressed into the curriculum of
our higher schools, that it is becoming impossible to give to
any of them that time and amplification without which no
genuine interest can be stimulated : and our best scholars
vie with one another in producing editions of which the
main excellence consists in packing into the closest space
'the irreducible minimum' of verbal and grammatical
knowledge. But if only a minimum of information
1 See the admirable remarks on this subject of the late H. A. J.
Munro, Elucidations of Catullus, p. 75 sqq.
PREFACE. ix
be provided, only a fraction of that minimum will be
retained ; and my experience is that the surest way to
interest students in the classics, even in their grammatical
difficulties, is to make them feel how rich and varied a
field of human interest they present.
To make the notes as useful as possible to ordinary
students, I have drawn illustrations, wherever possible,
from the best-known authors, especially Horace and
Virgil, rather than from obscurer sources ; and I have
given all the mythological and historical information ne-
cessary for the understanding of the text, even though it
might be easily obtained from Classical Dictionaries.
Not all students possess Classical Dictionaries : nor does
their possession ensure that they will be consulted.
The critical notes make no pretension to completeness.
They exhibit only the more important varieties of the best
MSS., special prominence being given to those which
bring but the comparative value of the different MSS.,
or which illustrate the kind of differences, whether as
regards orthography or otherwise, which a student should
learn to expect in comparing MSS. generally. In con-
stituting the text of the selections from Propertius, I
have aimed at carrying out the conclusions arrived at
by M. Plessis in his most interesting work, * Etudes
Critiques sur Properce,' founding mainly on N, giving the
most important readings of AFDV, and occasionally those
of G, Hb and Per. I have occasionally followed N
even in its varieties of orthography; not because such
x PREFACE.
varieties can be regarded as representing the original text
in the passages where they occur, but because it is well to
familiarise students with the fact that in certain cases uni-
formity of spelling is not to be looked for, even in the
best authorities. In two important passages, Prop. 3. 7.
22 and 3. 1 8. 21, 1 have ventured on conjectures of my
own ; in a good many more I have approved of readings
which I have not ventured to introduce into the text.
I have followed Baehrens and Mr. Palmer in returning
to the MS. division into four Books, an arrangement
which has now met with the approval of Professor Post-
gate also. It is to be hoped that the confusion gratui-
tously introduced by Lachmann into Propertius references
will now finally disappear. I have in my references
throughout adopted the numbering of Mr. Palmer.
I have made a special feature of the English headings
prefixed to each of the paragraphs into which I have
divided the poems. A key to the general sense and
structure of a poem is often of the greatest assistance
to the young student, especially in an author like Pro-
pertius, whose train of thought it is often hard to catch.
I have endeavoured to reproduce in the style of the head-
ings the spirit of the original. I trust further that by
exhibiting the connection of thought in the poems as
they stand I have presented a strong argument against the
many arbitrary transpositions suggested by Lachmann,
Baehrens and other editors.
In the selections from Tibullus, I have had the advan-
PREFACE. xi
tage of being able to use an edition of extracts published
by the late Professor William Ramsay. Some of the
longer notes of that excellent scholar are too valuable to
be lost, and I have quoted them in full within inverted
commas.
In conclusion, I have to express my warm acknowledg-
ments to Professor A. Palmer. Not only have I been
largely guided by his admirable edition of the text, but he
has rendered me substantial service by most kindly look-
ing over my proofs, and by offering many valuable sug-
gestions, which he has allowed me to incorporate in the
notes. I owe much also to the edition of Dr. Postgate,
whose selections coincide with those of this edition to the
extent of some five hundred lines. His masterly Intro-
duction is a most important addition to the fruits of British
scholarship ; and if I have ventured to differ from him
occasionally in the notes, I have done so with much diffi-
dence, and with a full sense of the authority with which
he speaks. My best thanks also are due to Professor
E. L. Lushington for kindly furnishing me with the
materials for the Egyptian note on Tibullus i. 7. 28;
to Professor Veitch and the Rev. A. S. Aglen for sug-
gesting to me some excellent illustrations ; and to G. S. R.
for the compilation of the Index.
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW,
Jan. 6, 1887.
My especial thanks are due to Mf. E. D. A.
MORSHEAD. for his kindness in allowing me
to print in this Edition (p. 369) his fine
translation of the Cornelia poem, which
appeared first in the Journal of Education.
Sept. 1894.
1'ihnllns and Proper tins, to face p. xiii
PREFACE TO THE SECOND
EDITION.
IN this edition, the book has been revised throughout ;
some important corrections and additions have been
made ; and attention has been paid to various friendly
criticisms. In particular, an Appendix has been added to
the chapter on the MSS. of Propertius (Introd. pp. lix to
Ixv) for the purpose of indicating the results arrived at
by Professor A. E. Housman and Dr. Postgate in their-
recent important contributions to Propertian criticism.
All readings discussed by Prof. Housman in passages
included in this selection are recorded in the critical
notes.
G. G. RAMSAY.
THE UNIVERSITY, GLASGOW,
May i, 1895.
CONTENTS.
PACE
PREFACE v
INTRODUCTION TO TIBULLUS xvii
MSS. AND EDITIONS OF TIBULLUS . . . xxvii
INTRODUCTION TO PROPERTIUS xxxii
MSS. AND EDITIONS OF PROPERTIUS .... 1
APPENDIX TO THE SECOND EDITION .... lix
TEXT OF TIBULLUS EXTRACTS * i
TEXT OF PROPERTIUS EXTRACTS 34
NOTES TO TIBULLUS 105
NOTES TO PROPERTIUS 185
THE PLEA OF CORNELIA 369
INDEX TO NOTES 373
INTRODUCTION TO TIBULLUS.
Life of Tibullus.
THE following Biography is prefixed to the MSS. of
Tibullus, and incorporated in the old Editions :
' Albius Tibullus, eques Romanus, insignis forma cultuque
corporis observabilis, ante alios Corvinum Messalam originem
(leg. oratorem) dilexit, cuius et contubemalis Aquitanico bello
militaribus donis donatus est. Hie multorum iudicio [et maxima
Quinctiliani viri in studia [_et] litterarum acerrimae licentiae]
principem inter elegiographos obtinet locum. Epistolae qnoque
eius amatoriae, quanquam breves, omnino utiles sunt. Obiit
adolescens [tempore Vergilii, ut indicat epigramma infra
scriptum :
Te quoqiie Vergilio comitem, <&.']
Our sources of information for the life of the poet
Tibullus are of the most scanty description. Of the
little that we know by far the greater part is derived
from the incidental notices of himself and his doings
which are scattered here and there throughout his writ-
ings. The short Biography transcribed above adds but
little to what he himself tells us, except the fact that he
died young. In addition, we have an Epigram by
a contemporary, Marsus Domitius, referred to in the
same Biography ; two of the poems of Horace Odes I.
33 and Epistles I. 4 are addressed to a poet Albius,
whom the learned have unanimously identified with the
poet Tibullus ; while there are frequent references to
him in the works of Ovid. Amongst these is the exquisite
elegy upon his death, Am. 3. 9.
b2
xviii INTRODUCTION
The date of the poet's death is fixed by the Epigram of
Domitius Marsus, mentioned above :
Te quoque Vergilio comitem non aequa, Tibulle,
Mors iuvenem compos misit ad Elysios,
Ne foret, aut elegis molles qui fleret amores,
Aut caneret forti regia bella pede.
'Thee too, in Virgil's company, Tibullus, unkindly
Death despatched yet young to the Elysian fields, that
there might be none either to sing the tearful elegies of
love, or to tell in brave measure of the wars of kings.'
Now Virgil died at Brundusium on the 22nd Sept.,
B.C. 19, and the words of Domitius imply that Tibullus
died at the same time, or at least shortly afterwards.
We may therefore assume that his death took place at
the end of B. c. 19, or the beginning of B. c. 18.
As to the date of his birth, however, there is more
uncertainty. In the Third Book of the Elegies, there
occurs the following passage, 5. 17, 18
Natalem nostri primum videre parentes
Quttni cecidit fato consul liter que part,
' My parents saw my first birthday what time the two
consuls fell by a common fate.'
If this couplet were genuine, it would fix the date of
the poet's birth definitely to B.C. 43, when the consuls
Hirtius and Pansa fell before the walls of Modena. But
almost all scholars are now agreed in regarding the
Third Book as not being the work of Tibullus ; and,
even were it otherwise, this particular passage must be
regarded as an interpolation for the following reasons :
(i) The second of the two lines occurs verbatim in Ovid,
Trist. 4. 10. 6, who tells us of his own birth :
Editus hie ego sum; nee non, ut tempora noris,
Cum cecidit fato consul uterque part.
' Here was I born : and that thou may'st know the time,
it was when, etc.'
TO TIBULLUS. xix
Now the Tristia were written fully thirty years after the
death of Tibullus, and it is extremely improbable that
Ovid would have borrowed so remarkable a line without
acknowledgment, or, if he did so, have failed to notice a
coincidence so remarkable between his own life and that
of Tibullus.
(2) But it is no less improbable that Tibullus was
born so late as B. c. 43. In B. C. 31 we find him declining
an invitation to follow his patron Messalla to the cam-
paign which ended in the battle of Actium ; whilst in the
year following he took part in his Aquitanian campaign.
To suppose that he was only twelve and thirteen years
old respectively on these two occasions is out of the
question.
(3) Ovid himself, Trist. 4. 10. 51-54 a passage which
we shall consider further in treating of the life of Propertius
states distinctly that disparity of age had prevented him
from enjoying the friendship of Tibullus. This remark
he further clenches in the next two lines : for arranging
the four elegiac poets of his own age in chronological
order, he puts Callus first, Tibullus next, and then declares
that Propertius was successor to Tibullus, while he himself
was successor to Propertius. Now Gallus was born in
B. c. 66, and Propertius somewhere between the years 50
and 47 B. c. (see Introduction to Propertius). It is there-
fore impossible that Tibullus can have been born so
late as B. C. 43, and we must look for some date between
B. c. 66 on the one hand, and B. c. 50, or at the latest
B. c. 47, on the other.
What other clue have we to guide us to a more precise
date ? We have seen that Domitius Marsus says he was
a youth (iuvenem) at the time of his death in B.C. 19 or
B. C. 1 8 : so too says the Biography, while the Life attri-
buted to Hieronymus Alexandrinus, and which is, in fact,
the same biography expanded, declares that he died inflore
iuventutis. The term iuvenis was, however, used techni-
xx INTRODUCTION
cally in a wide sense at Rome, as it included all citizens
liable to be called on for military service up to forty-six
years of age. Thus under the constitution of Servius
Tullius each Class was divided into an equal number of
Senior Centuries and Junior Centuries : all citizens up to
the age of forty-six were included in the latter. The
language of poetry, however, was not bound to conform
to such a use as this ; and we may fairly assume that
the fact of an early death would not have been insisted on
by Domitius had Tibullus been more than forty when he
died. Assuming this point therefore as an extreme limit,
we may assign B. C. 59 as the earliest possible date for the
poet's birth, whilst it is not possible for various reasons to
place it later than B.C. 54. The latter is the date assumed by
Lachmann, the former is that adopted by D issen ; and though
it is impossible to arrive at a certain conclusion on the sub-
ject, Dissen holds that the earlier date fits in best with the
poet's biography as a whole. It certainly suits well the.
tone of Horace's Epistle, in which he treats Tibullus as
an equal to whose criticisms he attaches weight, while at
the same time he addresses him in that patronising but
kindly tone which he could only have employed to one
decidedly younger than himself. Horace was born in
B. C. 65.
The praenomen of our poet is unknown. He was a
Roman egues, and was probably born at Pedum, a Latin
town just at the foot of the Apennines, and a few miles
north of Praeneste, where his father possessed an ample
estate. He had been brought up, he tells us (i. 10. 16), on
this estate, and he had looked forward to inheriting a rich
patrimony ; but his fortunes came under a cloud, and he
lost either the whole or the greater portion of it. The
language which he uses upon the subject is not free from
ambiguity ; but it is certain that the losses which he sus-
tained were connected with his landed estate, and that
they were only of a partial character. He still continued
TO TIBULLUS. xxi
to reside upon it : and though he speaks often of his
poverty, it is always of a poverty which is not inconsistent
with competency. Thus in i. i. 19-22 he compares his
present with his former condition :
Vos quoque felicis quondam mine pauperis agri
Custodes, fertis munera vestra. Lares :
Tune vitida innumeros lustrabat caesa iuvencos,
Nunc agna exigui est hostia parva soli.
' Ye, too, my Lares, guardians of an estate once rich,
now poor, receive your gifts ; in those days would a calf
be slaughtered to purify unnumbered steers, but now for
my tiny farm there falls a little lamb.'
And when, at the end of the same poem, he resigns to the
avaricious the hope of bringing back a fortune from the
wars, he adds on his own account :
Ego composite securus acervo
Despiciam dites despiciamque famem,
' With pile stored up, I shall know no care : I shall envy
not the rich, I shall fear not hunger.'
Thus his property is reduced, not lost altogether : and
his tone throughout his poems is that of a man who pos-
sesses a modest competence, and whose aim in life it is to
make the most of the simple pleasures which it could
afford him. But the standard of wealth at Rome was
high in the days of Tibullus ; and that he was still very
comfortably off, in spite of his losses, is plain from the
words of Horace, Ep. 1.4. 7, who says to him
Di tibi divitias dederunt artemque fruendi ;
' The gods have given thee wealth, with the knowledge
how to enjoy it.'
While again in 1. 10 he says that he has
Et mundus victus non deficiente crumena,
* A tidy competence, and a purse that fails not.'
xxii INTRODUCTION
As to the actual cause of his losses, Tibullus preserves
a discreet silence ; but it is generally taken for granted
that like Horace, Virgil, and Propertius, he was a victim
of the confiscations perpetrated by Octavianus and
Antony with the view of satisfying the demands of their
disbanded soldiery. The confiscation from which Virgil
and Horace suffered took place after the battle of Philippi
in B. C. 42. There were other confiscations in B. c. 36,
and again after Actium in B. c. 31.
The probability is that the confiscation took place on
the first of these occasions, in B.C. 42 or 41. At that
time Tibullus, according to Dissen's chronology, would
have been 17 or 1 8 years of age, and therefore just liable
for military service. To this date therefore he assigns
the loth Elegy of the First Book, which the poet wrote
on the occasion of receiving his first summons to arms,
and in which he expresses in passionate language his
hatred of war and his longing for ease and peace. In
this poem there is no mention of any loss of property ; so
Dissen conjectures that the confiscation took place after
Tibullus had started for the wars, and that he did not
return to his reduced estate till B. c. 32, when he would
have completed his full period of ten years' service in the
cavalry. According to this view, a period of ten years
must be placed between the composition of the tenth and
the first Elegies of the First Book, for in the latter poem,
written in B. c 31 (see Introduction), Tibullus tells us he
has completed his term of service, and is determined to
live the rest of his days in peace at home.
Dean Milman ', however, has pointed out one serious
difficulty in the way of this chronology. It is hard to be-
lieve that so finished a poem as I. 10 can have been
written in boyhood : or that so long a period as ten
years ten years too of rough camp-life can have elapsed
1 Article ' Tibullus,' Smith's Classical Dictionary.
TO TIBULLUS. xxiii
between the composition of elegies 10 and r. The style
certainly bears no trace of any such interval. We can
hardly help suspecting that, with his strong dislike to
arms, Tibullus may have found in the confusions of the
time some means of evading or abridging his term of
military service. It is hard also to understand how he
could have spent ten of the best years of his life in active
campaigning without leaving a single indication of the
fact in his poems : more especially as he has left us an
ample record of his subsequent achievements in the train
of his patron Messalla.
Of that distinguished man M. Valerius Messalla
Corvinus a short account is given in the note to Tib. I. I.
53. Not less distinguished in literature than in politics,
he had originally been a warm supporter of the Republican
cause, and only passed over to the side of Octavianus
about the year 37 or 36 B. c. At what period his friendship
for Tibullus began, we know not : but he was doubtless
attracted to him through admiration for his poetry, and
he became his firm friend and patron through life. In
the commencement of the year B.C. 31 (see I. I.) we find
him inviting Tibullus to form part of his suite in the
campaign which culminated in the battle of Actium. In
the autumn of the same year, Messalla was despatched by
Octavianus to put down a rebellion amongst the Gauls of
Aquitania: Tibullus accompanied him throughout the
campaign, and in the seventh Elegy of the First Book
has left a vivid account of the tribes and the places
which he saw during its progress. Towards the end of
B.C. 30, Messalla was invested by Augustus with a general
commission to establish the affairs of the East (see Introd.
to i. 3) : Tibullus again accompanied him, but falling
sick al Corcyra, was left behind, and was unable to
rejoin his patron. It was during his illness on this
occasion that he composed the despondent but beautiful
poem i. 3. From this time onwards the poet led a life
xxiv INTRODUCTION
of uneventful seclusion on the remains of his estate at
Pedum, unconscious, it would seem, of the great revolu-
tion taking place around him, and without making any
effort beyond cultivating the friendship of Horace
to make his way into that brilliant literary circle which
was repaying the patronage of the new government by
conferring upon it an immortality not its own. The name
of Augustus, so prominent, so worshipped, in the pages
of Virgil, Horace and Propertius, never once occurs in
those of Tibullus : amidst the baseness and the corruptions
of the time, it is refreshing to find that there was at least one
genius of the first rank who could practise the contentment
which Horace preached, and live a life full of unaffected
delight in simple rural pleasures, even when ungilded by
the flattering consciousness of imperial patronage.
The works usually attributed to Tibullus consist of
four Books of amatory Elegies. Of these the first two
are invariably regarded as genuine, the third book is
held by almost all scholars to be spurious, and to be the
work of a hand very inferior to that of Tibullus. Mr.
Cranston, however, in the Introduction to his excellent
translation of our poet into verse (Blackwood, Edin-
burgh, 1872) has undertaken the vindication of this book
on grounds that deserve consideration. Scholars will
scarcely, however, be ready to accept his ingenious
substitution of decimum for primum in 3. 5. 17, accord-
ing to which the year B.C. 43 would mark his tenth
birthday, not his first. The phrase videre parentes is
not appropriate to any day except the actual day of his
birth.
The Fourth Book opens with a dreary panegyric on
Messalla in Hexameter verse, of very doubtful genuine-
ness ; but the remainder of the elegies of that book, mt)st
of which relate to the love of a noble lady Sulpicia for
Cerinthus whether a real or imaginary personage is not
known have so much of the Tibullian charm about
TO TIBULLUS. xxv
them that it is hard to believe they can be the work of
an unknown poet. Some suppose them to have been
written by Sulpicia herself, daughter or granddaughter of
Cicero's contemporary, the famous jurist Servius Sulpicius,
who was consul B.C. 51.
The first six elegies of the First Book are addressed
to Delia whose real name would seem to have been
Plancia, Plantia, or Plania (Apuleius, Apol. 10) for
whom the poet had formed the most ardent and faithful
attachment. Throughout the whole of this Book, the
dream of his life is to retire with her to his country
property, and to pass the rest of his days in the
enjoyment of her love, and of the simple pleasures of
country life. He nursed her tenderly during an illness
which occurred after his return from Corcyra, but not
long afterwards she threw him over, and united herself to
another and richer lover. The Second Book is devoted
mainly to another charmer of the name of Nemesis, of
whom it is probable that Horace speaks under the name
of Glycera, Od. I. 33. Ovid, at any rate, in his beautiful
elegy upon the poet's death, knows only of his having had
two loves, Am. 3. 9. 31, 32
Sic A T emesis longum, sic Delia nomen habebunt,
Altera cura recens, altera primus amor.
'So will Nemesis, so will Delia, have an everlasting
name : the last his first, the first his latter love.'
While in line 58 he tells us how both Delia and Nemesis
were beside his sick bed, along with his mother and his
sister, and that the latter claimed to have held his hand
in death :
Me tenuit moriens deficients manu.
1 He held me as he died with his failing hand.'
A charming picture of the character and person of
Tibullus has been left to us by Horace in Epist. I. 4.
1-9
INTRODUCTION
Albi, nostrorum sermonum candide iudex,
Quid nunc te dicam facere in regione Pedana ?
Scribere quod Cassi Parmensis opuscula vincat,
An taciturn silvas inter reptare salubres,
Curantem quidquid dignum sapiente bonoque est ?
Non tu corpus eras sine pectore : di tibi formam,
Di tibi divitias dederunt artemque fruendi.
Quid voveat dulci nutricula mains alumno,
Qui sapere et fari possit quae sentiat, et cut
Gratia, fama, valetudo contingat abunde,
Et mundus victus, non deficiente crumena?
' What shall I say thou art doing, Albius, in thy region
of Pedum, thou kindly critic of my satires ? Art thou
writing aught to outdo the trifles of Parmese Cassius,
or art thou sauntering silent amongst the healthful
woods, with thoughts bent on all that is worthy of one
wise and good ? No body without soul art thou : the
gods have given to thee beauty, they have given thee
wealth and the knowledge how to enjoy it. What more
could fond nurse pray for the child she loves, than that
he should have good sense, with power to express what
he feels, good friends, a good name, abundance of good
health, a trim but modest home, and a purse that is
never empty ? '
Ovid has frequent references to Tibullus, of whom he
speaks in terms of the warmest admiration. Thus Am.
I. 15. 27
Donee erunt ignes arcusque Cupidinis arma,
Discentur numeri, culte Tibulle, tui.
1 So long as fire and bow shall be Cupid's weapons, so
long thy numbers, polished Tibullus, shall be learnt.'
Quintilian, Inst. Or. 10. I. 93, says, Elegia quoque
Graecos provocamus, cuiits mihi tersus atque elegans
maxime videtur auctor Tibullus : sunt qui Propertitim
malint : Ovidius utroque lascivior, sicut durior Callus,
TO TIBULLUS. xxvii
i.e. he gives to Tibullus the palm for grace and polish,
though some would assign it to Propertius : Ovid is more
free, Gallus is deficient in tenderness. But the most beau-
tiful tribute to his merit is the Elegy of Ovid, Am. 3. 9, of
which mention has been already made. It is too long to
transcribe as a whole, but here are the concluding lines :
Si tamen e nobis aliquid nisi nomen et umbra
Restat, in Elysia valle Tibullus erit.
Obvi^ls h^l^c venias, hedera iuvenilia cinctus
Tempora, cum Calvo, docte Catulle, tuo ;
Tu quoque, si falsum est temerati crimen amid,
Sanguinis atque animae prodige, Galle, luae.
His comes umbra tua est. Si qua est modo corporis umbra,
Auxisti numeros, culte Tibulle, pios :
Ossa qttieta, precor, tufa requiescite in tirna,
Et sit humus cineri non onerosa tuo.
-These lines have been thus gracefully rendered by
Professor Nichol a :
Ah ! yet, if any part of us remains
But name and shadow, Albitts is not dead ;
And thou, Catullus, in Elysian plains
With Calvus see the ivy crown his head.
Thou, Gallus, prodigal of life and blood,
If false the charge of amity betrayed,
And aught remains across the Stygian Jlood,
Shalt meet him yonder with thy happy shade.
Refined Tibullus ! thou art joined to those
Living in calm communion with the blest ;
In peaceful urn thy quiet bones repose
May earth lie lightly where thy ashes rest !
MSS. and Editions of Tibullus,
Up ..to a recent period, the best critical edition of
Tibullus was that of Lachmann, published in 1829, pre-
1 See the whole of Professor Nichol's translation, given in full
in Mr. Cranston's Version.
xxviii INTRODUCTION
ceded by a few years by that of Huschke, 1819. Lach-
mann relied mainly upon five MSS., none of them older
than the fifteenth century. These MSS. were all, accord-
ing to the fashion of the scholars of that time, much inter-
polated ; the interpolations being due not only to the
copying of readings from other MSS., but also, in many
cases, to sheer invention. Lachmann was also acquainted
with the readings noted by J. Scaliger from an old MS. of
Extracts from Books I and II, possessed by Vincentius
Bellovacensis, a writer of the thirteenth century ; with the
readings of the fragment of a MS. which Scaliger received
from Cuiaccius ; and with the readings of Franciscus
Puccius, many of which were derived from a very old MS.
But he was not able to exhibit the true connection between
these MSS. ; and the text has been put upon a new foot-
ing by the edition of Baehrens (1878), who claims to have
discovered two MSS. of the first importance, and to have
established the true relationship subsisting between the
existing MSS. The following is the account he gives of
the various MSS. First in importance is
A or Codex Ambrosianus discovered by Baehrens in
the Ambrosian Library of Milan in 1876. It is on parch-
ment, of quarto shape, contains only Tibullus in forty-
eight leaves of twenty-two lines each, the last being blank.
At the end, after the ' Vita Tibulli,' are the words, Liber
Colycii pyeri Cancellarii Florentini, and, added in a
different hand, Liber Cosme Johannis de Medids. It is
written in a beautiful hand, and has few mistakes. Its
date is probably about 1374, as we know that Colutius
Salutatus was hunting up copies of Propertius and Ca-
tullus about that time. It has been corrected here and
there by a hand some fifty years later. Very like this MS.,
but inferior, is
V or Codex Vaticanus, on paper, folio size, containing
Tibullus on leaves 1-37, and also Ovid's Remedia Amoris.
It is probably of the end of the thirteenth or beginning of
TO TIBULLUS. xxix
the fourteenth century. It has been corrected by various
hands, but these corrections are all of little or no value.
These two MSS. resemble each other so closely, that
it is evident they are derived from a common archetype.
To this same family belong the various MSS. of the
fifteenth century including those relied upon by Lach-
mann which departed more and more widely from the
original, and suffered much from interpolations by Joannes
Aurispa, Thomas Seneca, Jovianus Pontanus, and other
scholars of that century.
But Baehrens believes that he has lighted upon a MS.
which belongs to a different and older family than A.V.
Lachmann set great store by certain readings noted in
1 501 by Franciscus Puccius, who professed to have de-
rived them from an old MS. This MS. Baehrens believes
he has found in
& or Codex Guelferbytanus, a folio MS., now at
Wolfenbiittel, on parchment, which contains the works of
Tibullus on thirty-eight leaves, along with other matter.
The writing is an imitation of the Langobardic character
of the tenth or eleventh century, but Baehrens holds that it
was written about 1425 A.D. It has been corrected by a
later hand, not only on the margin, but between the lines,
and even in the text itself. These corrections are some-
times taken from a MS. of the A. V. family, but are for the
most part worthless. The text itself, from its similarity to
the readings of Puccius, Baehrens holds to be the very
MS. used by him : it seems to be derived from a different
original from A. V., but to belong to the same family as the
Excerpta Parisina, a book of extracts from various
ancient authors, compiled by some learned Frenchman
between 1000 and IIOOA. D. This collection contained
passages from Tibullus I and II : these were seen byVin-
centius Bellovacensis, a writer of the thirteenth century,
and other writers of that time : a copy came into the
hands of Scaliger, and Meyncke has collected the pas-
xxx INTRODUCTION
sages from Tibullus which are to be found in two MSS.
of the Florilegium now at Paris (Mus. Rhen., vol. 25,
p. 369). Many of the readings are corrupt, and entirely
bad, but those that are good seem to be derived from a
different family from A. V., and to present great similarity
to the readings of G. Wherever Par. has a good reading,
G. agrees with it; where its reading is bad, it agrees
rather with A. V. Hence Baehrens holds that A. and V.
were derived from one common parent, while G. and
Par. were derived from another and older parent, belong-
ing possibly to the tenth or eleventh centuries. These
two supposed MSS. however, though unequal in age, were
themselves probably derived from a common archetype
whose supposed readings, designated by the sign O., are
to be ascertained from the consensus of the three MSS.
A.V.G., supported by the readings of Par. where available.
But this is not all. There were at one time in existence
two other MSS. of Tibullus, distinct both from each other
and from O. Of one of these MSS. some fragments are
preserved in the collection called
Excerpta Frisingensia, now at Munich, in a MS.
of the eleventh century, and taken apparently from a MS.
older and better than O '. Some excellent readings have
been preserved in these extracts, especially that adopted
in this edition in 1. 1. 25. The other MS. is preserved only
in the
Fragment called F. This is the ancient fragment
which Scaliger received from Jacobus Cuiaccius, on the
readings of which Lachmann placed a high value. It
began only from 3. 4. 65, and as the MS. itself has dis-
appeared, only such of its readings were preserved as
Scaliger thought fit to write out on to his own copy of the
Plantinian edition of our poet (1560). That copy is now
1 See Lachmann, pref. p. 8, and L. Mueller in Fleckeisen's
Jahrbuch 1869, p. 63, as well as in his own edition.
TO TIBULLUS. xxxi
in the library at Leyden, and has been examined by C. M.
Francken and E. Hiller. These readings are marked by
the sign Plant, in this edition. What is the relationship
subsisting between O. F. and Fris. has not as yet
been ascertained. O. itself was corrupt and interpolated,
and it must have been experimented on by emendators at
a very early age.
The text of the present edition has been largely founded
upon that given in the excellent critical edition of
E. Hiller (1885), compared throughout with that of
Baehrens, and with occasional assistance from that of L.
Mueller (1880). In every important or doubtful case,
the authority is given in the critical notes.
The best general commentaries on Tibullus are con-
tained in the edition of Heyne, fourth edition, 1817, and
in that of Dissen, 1835. In the present edition consider-
able use has been made of an edition of Extracts from
Tibullus published by the late Professor Ramsay in 1840,
and now out of print: the notes transcribed from that
edition are marked by inverted commas. For a complete
list of editions and works on Tibullus see preface to
E. Killer's edition, 1885.
INTRODUCTION TO PROPERTIUS.
Life of Proper tiiis.
OF the life and circumstances of Propertius we know
little or nothing except what is recorded by himself, or can
be gathered from a careful examination of his poems.
Such an examination will tell us much of the poet's cha-
racter, and enable us to construct for ourselves a tolerably
complete picture of the man, of his temper and his tastes,
of the strength and tenderness of his feelings, as well as
of the characteristic features and limitations of his genius ;
but it will furnish us with a very meagre account of the
external incidents of his life. His poems are essentially
poems of feeling, not of incident or description ; and they
revolve in a round so narrow, so intense, that beyond the
special circumstances by which the feeling was called
forth, they give little or no clue to the surroundings in
which his life was passed. His love and his poetry were
his all : and in leaving these behind him, he has left us
the best record of his life.
His full name, so far as we know it, was Sextus Pro-
pertius. The praenomen does not occur in his writings,
nor is it given in any MS. : but it is distinctly attributed
to him by Donatus in his Life of Virgil. Many MSS.
and, until recently, most editions, give him the additional
name Aureltus, sometimes before, sometimes after, the
Propertius : but apart from the improbability of a double
gentile name being borne at so early a date as the time of
Propertius, it is likely that a mistake has arisen from
a confusion with the name of the poet Prudentius, whose
full name was Aurelius Prudentius Clemens. Many
MSS. add Nauta to the poet's name, as an agnomen: but
this mistake has been shown to arise from a false reading
INTRODUCTION TO PROPERTIUS. xxxiii
navita dives eras instead of non ita dives eras in 2. 24.
38 \
As to the birthplace of our poet, a lively controversy
has been waged. We know from himself that he was an
Umbrian, but he does not fix the exact locality of his
birth, and there are at least four towns whose claim to
the honour have been supported with a good show of
reason by different editors. These towns are Asisium
(the modern Assisi, famed as the birthplace of St.
Francis) ; Mevania (Bevagna) ; Ameria (Amelia) ; and
Hispellum (Spello), to which may also be added Perusia
(Perugia), though that town is not situated in Umbria at
all. Almost all recent editors, however, are agreed in fix-
ing upon Asisium : and yet, if the words of Propertius on
which they rely be taken in their simple sense, nothing
can be more clear than the fact that, while indicating each
of the above-named places in connection with his birth,
he does not state that he was born in any one of them.
On the contrary, his references to the different cities show
that his birthplace might be described in connection with
them all ; and that he was in all probability born in some
country house or village situated in the district which lay
between them. The passages which bear on the subject
are the following :
I. The poem i. 22 is written for the express purpose of
answering the inquiries of his friend Tullus as to his
home and family :
Quatis et uncle genus, qui sint mihi, Tulle, Penates,
Quaeris pro nostra semper amicitia.
'Thou art ever asking, Tullus, as an old friend, what
and whence my race, what my home.'
Propertius answers by referring him to the town of
Perusia, and adds, 11. 9, 10
Proximo, subposito contingens Umbria campo
Me genttit, terris fertilis uberibus ;
See M. Plessis, p. 172.
c 2
xxxiv INTRODUCTION
' In the plain below, where the rich fertile land of
Umbria comes closest there was I born ; '
1. e. he was born in the rich plain of Umbria, at the
point where it comes closest up to the walls of Perusia.
It is impossible that in these words Umbria as a whole
can be referred to : he clearly means to specify the par-
ticular part of Umbria with which he was connected.
2. In 4. i. 6 1 -66 he proclaims himself to be an Um-
brian, and speaks in vague terms of his genius being con-
nected with a city or cities set upon a height above the
plain :
Ennius hirsuta cingat sua dicta corona:
Mi folia ex hedera porrige, Bacche, tua,
Ut nostris tumefacta superbiat Umbria libris,
Umbria Romani patria Callimachi.
Scandentes quisquis cernit de vallibus arces
Ingenio. muros aestimet ilk meo.
' Let Ennius crown his sayings with rugged wreath : but
hand thou to me,, Bacchus, a chaplet of thine own ivy,
that Umbria be lifted up and boast her of my lays Um-
bria the fatherland of the Callimachus of Rome. Who-
ever sees yon heights climbing out of the valley, by my
genius let him rate those walls.'
There is nothing in these words to show that Pro-
pertius had any particular town in view, or that he meant
to speak of such town as his birthplace.
3. More definite information is afforded by 4. I. 121-
126
Umbria te notis antiqua Fenaiibus edit:
(Mentior ? an patriae tangitur ora tuae T)
Qua ncbulosa cavo rorat Mevania campo,
Et locus aestivis intepet Umber aquis,
Scandentisqtie arcis consurgit vertice murus,
Murus ab ingenio notior ille tuo.
1 Thy birthplace is ancient Umbria, in a home well-
TO PROPERTIUS. xxxv
known : (Speak I false ? or do I truly touch the region
of thy fatherland ?) where dank Mevania drips with
its sunken plain ; where reek, through summer days, the
waters of the Umbrian mere; where rise the walls on
the top of yon climbing height, walls that have gathered
name from genius of thine.' The MS. reading in 1. 125
is Asz's : but this is almost demonstrably wrong. There
is no such name as Asis. Hertzberg in vain attempts to
show that it was the name of the mountain behind Asisium,
on the slopes of which also lay Hispellum. Hence Lach-
mann conjectures Asisi : but it has been shown that the
first syllable of that word is long, not short. There is a
Greek form of the name 'AiVioi/, used by Strabo ; and Pro-
pertius might conceivably have used for his verse a form
Aist, genitive of Aisium. But the reading Asis, like Ast'st,
has evidently sprung from a desire to connect the poet with
Asisium, and the position of that town, which is most re-
markable, scarcely suits the words of the line. The modern
town occupies the same site as the ancient town, and its
peculiarity is that it is not on the top (verttce) of a hill,
but actually forms a shelf on the side of a steep straight
hill, which rises up no less steeply behind it. No
room could be found even for the church of St. Francis,
except by building out arcades as a foundation : so too
with the great convent beside it. It would be quite im-
possible to describe the walls of the town as crowning a
height 1 . Hertzberg suggests that verttce might be an
ablative of the instrument, as though the wall was
actually formed ' by the top of a hill ; ' but this is pre-
cisely what it was not. The words describe some town
1 What is here said of Assisi is taken from personal obser-
vation. See Murray's Handbook, and the Quarterly Review,
No. 208. Dante, Par.' n. 43, describes the site as hanging from
the mountain side :
Fertile costa cT alto monte fende.
xxx vi IN-TRO DUCT ION
set on the top of a hill, doubtless the same town as that
described in 1. 65 in almost identical words :
Scandentes si quis cemet de vallibus arces ;
and arcts, not Asis, is the true reading. The town indi-
cated is one of the towns in the valley of the Clitumnus,
but it was not necessarily Asisium.
But even if Asisi were the true reading, the words of
Propertius do not indicate more than that he was born in
the neighbourhood of that town. It is clear that the poet
here specifies a district, not a town. He again gives Um-
bria as his birthplace ; patriae ora has reference to what
follows, and specifies the particular part of the province
with which he was connected. This is then described as
the part where the dank Mevania drips with moisture on
a plain, where waters steam from the Umbrian lake in
summer, and where the walls of a city rise up on a height.
No known lake would satisfy the conditions of the locus
Umber : so the phrase is generally supposed to refer to a
part of the river Clitumnus, which, according to the
younger Pliny, 8. 8. 1-3, spreads out into a broad glassy
pool not far below its source. The fact then that Propertius
describes his Penates as being in a part of Umbria lying
close under Perusia, where lay Mevania and the Umbrian
lake, and the town set on a hill, is proof that he means to
specify no particular town, but only to indicate a spot in
the Clitumnus valley within reach of all the places he has
named. The phrase ncti Penates no doubt refers to the
farm of which Propertius' father was deprived in the con-
fiscations of B. C. 42, and implies that it was a property of
some importance. It was in all probability situated
nearer to Asisium than to the other towns named above,
for the names Propertius and Propertia occur on several
inscriptions found in or near that city. There is also evi-
dence to show that he was claimed as a municeps of that
town in the century after his death. For there exists at
Assisi a stone with the following inscription :
TO PROPERTI-US. xxxvii
C. PASSENNO
C. F. SERG
- PAVLLO
ROPERTIO
BLAESO.
Now Pliny the younger, Epist. 6. 15. i, speaks of a Pas-
sennus Paullus as a learned eques and a poet, adding,
Genttlicium hoc illi : est enim municeps Proper ti atque
etiam inter maiores suos Propertium narrat. There is
no evidence that Propertius left any child behind him ;
the words of Pliny do not necessarily mean more than that
Passennus counted Propertius as belonging to a previous
generation of his family ; and even if they do mean more,
the claim of Passennus to be descended from Propertius
as an ancestor is no more proof of the fact than the
similar claim of the emperor Tacitus to be descended
from the historian. Nevertheless, the statement of Pliny,
taken along with the inscription, raises a strong proba-
bility that the Propertii were connected with Asisium, and
that Asisium was the nearest important town to the
property on which the poet was born.
The Propertii, it would appear, were a respectable
family in comfortable circumstances, but neither patrician,
noble, nor wealthy. Thus, in his childhood, Propertius
wore the golden bulla that was the sign of ingenuitas,
4- i. 131
Max ubi India rudi dimissa est aurea collo,
Matrix et ante decs libera sumpta toga ;
' Soon, when I laid aside the golden boss from my
neck, yet unfledged, and assumed the manly gown before
my mother's gods,'
i. e. the Penates, so-called because his father was dead.
Again, 2. 24. 36, he represents Cynthia as addressing him
thus:
Certus eras, eheu ! quanrvis nee sanguine avito
Nobilis, et quamvis non ita dives eras.
xxxviii INTRODUCTION
' Faithful thou wert, ah me ! though not sprung from
noble ancestors, nor over rich withal.'
So again, 2. 34. 55
A spice me, cui parva domi for tuna relict a est,
Nullus et antique Marte triumphus avi.
' See me, to whom but modest home and fortune have
been left, and who have no ancestors that gained triumphs
in ancient war.'
At an early age he lost his father, 4. i. 127-130
Ossaque legisii non ilia aetate legenda
Patris, et in tenues cogeris ipse Lares :
Nam tua cum multi versarent rura iuvenci,
Abstulit excultas perlica tristis opes.
' Thou didst gather thy father's bones at an age that was
not meet, and wast thyself reduced to a slender home :
full many a steer was wont to plough thy lands, but the
accursed measuring-rod (i. e. of confiscation) took that
well-tilled wealth away.'
The latter lines inform us that soon after his father's
death his property was included, either in whole or in
part as the words cui parva domi fortuna relicta est
seem to imply among those confiscated by the triumvirs
in B.C. 41. Dr. Postgate has pointed out that the horror
with which the poet speaks of the siege of Perusia in B.C. 41
in the course of which he lost one of his relatives is
to be explained by the fact that that event was associated
with the lowest period of the family fortunes, and that
Propertius himself, as a timid sensitive boy, may have
witnessed some of the terrible scenes that attended it.
His father dead, his property confiscated, he was brought
up under the supervision of his mother, who in all proba-
bility took him to Rome for his education, and expended
upon him the same loving care that Horace informs us
he experienced at the hands of his father. He received,
at any rate, the best education which Rome could afford,
and in due time, his mother being still alive, he assumed
the toga "virilis.
TO PROPERTIUS. xxxix
Like most well-educated young men of his time, he
seems to have been intended for the bar ; but we are
not surprised that, with his temperament, like Ovid, he
should have found the contentions of the forum intoler-
able, 4- I- 133
Turn tibi pauca suo de carmine dictat Apollo,
Et vetat insano verba tonare foro.
'Then Apollo taught thee somewhat of his own gift of
song, and forbad thee to thunder in the mad contests
of the forum.'
The date of his birth can only be fixed approximately.
Our only certain information on the subject is derived
from Ovid, Trist. 4. 10. 41-54. In that passage Ovid
gives a list of the poets whom he had known in his youth.
Having first named Aemilius Macer of Verona, author of
a poem on birds snakes and herbs, he proceeds :
Saepe suos solittis recitare Propertitis ignes,
lure sodalicii qui mihi iunctus erat.
Ponticus heroo, Bassus quoque clarus iambis,
Dulria convictus membra fuere met.
Detinuit nostras numerosus Horatius attres,
Dum ferit Ausonia carmina culta lyra.
Vergilium vidi tantum : nee amara Tibullo
Tempus amicitiae fata dedere meae.
Successor fuit hie tibi, Galle ; Propertius illi ;
Quartus ab his serie temporis ipse fui.
1 Oft would Propertius recite to me his loves, close
bound to me by bond of comradeship. Ponticus, famed
in Epic verse, Bassus too in Iambic, were dearly-loved
members of my band. Horace with his tuneful numbers
held my ears fast-bound as he struck his polished lays
from the lyre of Italy. Virgil I did but see : nor did
the unkindly fates give Tibullus time to be my friend.
He was thy successor, Callus, and Propertius his : fourth
from them was I in order of time.'
xl INTRODUCTION
In the last four lines of the passage, it is evident that
Ovid places the elegiac poets in a chronological order
(serie temporis) in relation to each other. What he
means to say is that Callus was first in the series, then
came Tibullus, then Propertius, whilst he himself closed
the list as fourth in order from Gallus. A doubt has in-
deed been raised as to this interpretation in consequence
of the two pronouns hie and illi being used in reference
to the same person, viz. Tibullus : but there is no real
difficulty in this, for as the subject of the sentence changes
from Tibullus to Propertius, Tibullus is properly referred
to as hie in the former clause, as ille in the latter. An
exactly parallel instance occurs in Juv. n. 23-5
Ilium ego iure
Despiciam qui scit quanta sublimior Atlas
Omnibus in Libya sit montibus, hie tamen idem
Ignoret quantum ferrata distet ab area
Sacculus,
i. e. ' That man I should rightly despise who knows the
height of Atlas, and who yet does not know,' etc. Here
ilium and hie refer to one and the same person, who
is spoken of as ilium when object, as hie when sub-
ject, to the verb. We thus establish the chronological
sequence, (i) Gallus, (2) Tibullus, (3) Propertius, (4)
Ovid. Now the poet C. Cornelius Gallus was born
either in B.C. 69 or 66 and died B.C. 26; Tibullus was
born possibly as early as B.C.. 59, certainly not later than
B.C. 54, and died probably B.C. 18 ; Ovid, lastly, was
bom B.C. 43, and died A.D. 18. We have thus to find a
date for the birth of Propertius between the years B.C. 59
or 54 and B. c. 43. We have already seen that he was a
boy in the years B.C. 42 and 41, old enough to be spoken
of as the owner of property (4. I. 129), and to be affected
by the events of the Perusian war ; but his education was
not completed, and an interval must be left, correspond-
ing to mox'm 4. 3. 131, for his residence at Rome previous
to his assumption of the manly gown in his sixteenth or
TO PROPERTIUS. xli
seventeenth year. We may thus suppose that he was
born not earlier than B.C. 50, nor later than B.C. 47, and
that he assumed the manly gown between the years B.C.
34 and 30.
In the first flush of youth, Propertius came across his
fate in the person of the famous Cynthia, at once his
inspiration and his bane. The main work of his life was
to record in passionate poetry the various phases of this
attachment : and the ups and downs in his relations with
her are the chief landmarks in his biography. Out of the
total number of ninety-one poems which he has left behind
him, no less than sixty have relation to Cynthia : if we
can arrange these in chronological order, we have prac-
tically the story of his life. The latest of the number are
the two last elegies of Book III, in which, with a hardness
and cruelty of tone almost amounting to brutality, he
renounces his love for her, and finally bids her adieu. In
the third line of poem 25, summing up the past, he says
Quinque tibi potui servire fideliter annos.
' For five years I was able to serve thee faithfully.'
The natural meaning of these words is that his whole
attachment for Cynthia had lasted for five years: and
though it is possible, as Dr. Postgate thinks, that a tempo-
rary reconciliation may have taken place after these words
were written, it is certain that these two elegies are the
last of which she was the theme. But before the final
rupture, there was a previous period of estrangement which
occurred in consequence of some quarrel between the
lovers, the cause of which does not appear. Propertius puts
it thus, 3. 1 6. 9
Peccaram seme!, et totum sum pidsus in annum,
1 Once had I sinned, and I was driven forth for an entire
year.'
He had thus committed some fault, and she punished
him by banishing him from her presence for a year.
Now is this year to be counted amongst the five years
xlii INTRODUCTION
of 3. 25. 2 ? Are the words potui servire fideliter incon-
sistent with that hypothesis ? The general opinion has
been that they are inconsistent with it ; and this is the
view of Lachmann. He holds further that in 3. 15. 7, 8,
where the poet speaks of an attachment for Cynthia of
at least two years' standing, he must refer to a period
previous to the year of separation, so that the whole
period of the poet's connection with Cynthia must in
that case have extended over at least eight years. But
it is evident from the Cynthia elegies that there were
frequent quarrels and frequent reconciliations between the
lovers : their love was subject to all the vicissitudes of
caprice, disappointment, and satiety, which might be
expected to arise between two persons of ardent but
sensitive temperament, incapable of self-control, and
innocent of all restraint from moral or prudential con-
siderations. It were idle to look for five years of un-
broken calm between such a pair ; and a whole year of
interrupted relations might well be overlooked in a rapid
and indignant retrospect. Literal exactness is not to be
looked for in the protestations of a lover when at the
moment of a final rupture he recalls his devotion in the
past : and M. Plessis is doubtless right in holding that
when Propertius declares he had been for five years the
faithful slave of Cynthia, he meant to indicate the whole
duration of their attachment. It affords a strong cor-
roboration of this view, that the whole series of Cynthia
poems, so far as we can put an exact date upon them,
covers as nearly as possible a period of five years. None
of these elegies can be definitely ascribed to an earlier
date than B. c 28 : none can definitely be put later than
B. c. 23. There are many, no doubt, to which no date at
all can be assigned, and there are difficulties in the way
of any chronological scheme that can be constructed : but
the fact that some ten or twelve of the elegies, spread over
the three first books, can be dated, and that all fall within
TO PROPERTIUS. xliii
the limits given above, affords a strong presumption which
cannot be overthrown by problematical interpretations
of particular poems or passages. The elegy 2. 10 which
was probably written before the rupture, has been put
as late as B.C. 22 : but M. Plessis has shown that Hertzberg
is probably correct in assigning it to B. C. 25'.
The First Book was written during the earlier and
happier period of the poet's attachment : many of the pieces
included in it are in his lightest happiest vein, and its
publication which was perhaps delayed till B.C. 25 2
at once established the reputation of its author. The
book seems to have been known by the name of Cynthia
Monobiblos, and is the book referred to by Martial, 14.
189
Cynthia, facundi carmen iuvenile Properti,
Accepit faniam, nee minus ifsa dedit*
1 Cynthia, the youthful poem of the eloquent Propertius,
has conferred a name not less famous than she has
received.'
It probably secured for Propertius admission to the
circle of Maecenas, who soon began to suggest to him
that he should employ his muse in the service of Augustus.
The Second Book was begun within a few months of
the completion (not necessarily the publication) of the
first ; for in 2. 3. 3, after declaring his enslavement to
Cynthia, he adds, addressing himself :
Vix ttnum fates infelix requiescere mensem,
Et turf is de te iam liber alter erit.
' Scarce, hapless one ! canst thou rest one single month,
and there will soon, to thy shame, be a second book
about thee.'
The book opens with an elegy addressed to Maecenas ;
the poet is still in the full fervour of his love, and pleads
1 Etudes critiques sur Propera
3 See Postgate's Introduction.
Properce, p. 222.
xliv INTRODUCTION
the impossibility of tearing himself away from it as an
excuse for declining the invitation of Maecenas to occupy
himself with graver themes. As the book proceeds, the
poet is sti.l spell-bound by the fascinations of Cynthia,
and there are some poems in the old exuberant key : but
he speaks more frequently of her inconstancy and ingrati-
tude ; complains of the hardness of her heart ; looks
forward to a death brought about by her cruelty, and
seems to struggle more resolutely against the slavery
which enthralls him.
By degrees he turns his attention to other subjects ;
declares he must now have done with love and sing of
Caesar, and though he shows little alacrity to fulfil the
promise, it is clear that Cynthia has a less exclusive hold
on his regard than during the period covered by the first
book. The poems are of various dates, and written in
various moods : the twenty-eighth was written as early
as B. C. 28 : the first and tenth were probably written in
B.C. 25 or 24.
In the Third Book, only thirteen out of twenty-five
poems refer to Cynthia. In it are included some of
his noblest and most touching poems amongst these
the eighteenth, written on the occasion of the death of
Marcellus in B.C. 23, and the exquisitely pathetic seventh,
on the drowning of Paetus which prove conclusively that
Cynthia was by no means the only, or the noblest,
inspirer of his muse. It concludes with the bitter and
taunting poems in which he abjures his love for her,
and finally casts her off.
The Fourth Book differs materially from all the rest.
It contains but two poems referring to Cynthia. One of
these belongs evidently to an early period ; the other
the seventh was written after her death. The re-
mainder are longer, and more formal in character than
the elegies of the earlier books. Five of them are his-
torical and antiquarian ; one is a poetical epistle from a
TO PROPERTIUS. xlv
young wife to her absent husband ; in another the
victory of Actium is celebrated, and the book closes
with the magnificent Elegy on the noble matron Cor-
nelia. Two of the poems of this book, and two only,
can be dated. These are the sixth and eleventh, both of
which must be referred to the year B.C. 1 6. The former
was written to commemorate the celebration of the
ludi quinquennales ; the latter, 1. 66, alludes to the con-
sulship of P. Cornelius Scipio, both of which events took
place in that year. Most editors are agreed in holding
that the whole book was published posthumously. Be-
yond the year B.C. 16, says Dr. Postgate, 'there is not
a shred for conjecture to lay hold of, and the obscurity
which wraps so much of the poetry of Propertius sinks,
like a pall, upon his life.'
It has generally been supposed that the antiquarian
poems of the Fourth Book the first, second, fourth, ninth
and tenth were written in the poet's first youth, and before
the Cynthia period of his life. But there is no proof for
this hypothesis ; nor is it supported by any evidence to
be extracted from the poems themselves. Alike in sub-
ject and in treatment they display a calmness and a
continuity altogether foreign to the rapid fervour and
exuberant passionateness of the poet's earliest days ;
they seem a very fulfilment of the poet's own promise
in 3. 5. 19 sqg., that while devoted to Love and Bacchus
in his hot youth, he will turn, with advancing age, to graver
themes. Now had Propertius turned to antiquarian sub-
jects in his youth, we may be certain that he would have
gone to the mythology of Greece for his subject. When he
began to write, he was saturated with the forms and the
spirit of Greek mythology ; he had carried an imagination
and an enthusiasm into the study which burst through
all the artificial wrappings in which his Alexandrine
masters had embedded it ; but there is nothing in his
earlier poems to show that he had expended any interest
xlvi INTRODUCTION
or labour on the early legends of Rome or Italy. The
question is not without interest : for by relegating to the
poet's earlier days all the poems in Book IV which
cannot be dated, it is possible to interpret literally the
words of Propertius when he says 2. i. 4
Ingenium nobis ipsa puella facit,
' my love herself is the maker of my Muse,' and to
bestow on Cynthia the glory of having been the main,
if not the only, inspirer of his genius. Dr. Postgate
says, ' Without the stimulus of his love, and without the
sympathy and encouragement of his beloved, his genius
might never have broken the crust of lethargy which
covered it .... With the extinction of his love decayed
his poetic activity . . . . " His Muse," as Hertzberg says,
" sank to silence with his love." ' There is no doubt that
Cynthia's literary taste J did much to stimulate the poet's
genius, and to throw his love for her into the imperish-
able form in which it has been embodied. No doubt
also his rupture with her must have shaken his whole
1 Cynthia's, real name was Hostia, and her grandfather was
probably the poet Hostius, who wrote a poem on the Illyrian
war of B. c. 1 78, Festus s. v. tesca. Propertius says to her, 4. 20. 8
Splendidaqtte a docto fama refulget avo;
he calls her docta, the characteristic epithet of poets in I. 7. n,
13. II and in a moment of anger declares, 2. n. 5-6
Et tua transibit contentnens ossa viator,
Nee dicet, Cinis hie docta puella fuit,
as though her title to ' learning ' would naturally be acknowledged
by everyone. In 2. i. 27-32 he declares the causes of his love
for her :
Quittn tibi praesertim Phoebus sua carmina donet,
Aoniamque libens Calliopea lyram ;
Unica nee desit iucundis gratia verbis,
Omnia qiiaeque Venus quaeqtie Minerva probat.
His tu semper eris nostrae gratissima vitae,
Taedia dum miserae sint tibi luxnriae.
See too the passage, 2. 3. 9-22.
TO PROPERT1US. xlvii
nature, at once sensitive and passionate as it was : and
the twenty-third and twenty-fourth poems of Book IV
show how for a time at least it converted the tenderest
of poets into the hardest. When there was no longer
a Cynthia, there could no longer be Cynthia poems : but
some of the finest, to a modern taste probably the finest,
of the poems of Propertius are written on subjects in
which Cynthia had no place ; and there is no need to
exaggerate the influence which she exercised on his
genius, and for that purpose to set aside the presumption
afforded by the order of the poems as handed down to us
that some of the noblest and most beautiful of his poems
were composed after his love for Cynthia was a thing
of the past. The fevered dissipation of his first youth
no doubt left its effects behind, and the exuberance of his
early muse departed from him ; but no dimness of poetic
faculty, no seared heart, can be attributed to the poet who
wrote the third and the eleventh poems of the Fourth
Book ; and the latter, as we have seen, was written not
earlier than B. c. 16.
Another argument, which is almost conclusive, can be
drawn from the development in the structure of the
elegiac couplet, and especially of the pentameter, which can
be traced in the poems as they stand. In Books I and II
Propertius constantly ends his pentameters with words of
three, four, and five syllables : the number of such end-
ings is far rarer in Book III, and ceases almost entirely
in Book IV : in seven out of the eleven poems of that
book not one of these endings occur. The following table
will show at a glance how the facts stand :
Book I.
Trisyllabic endings 35
Quadrisyllable endings 88
Quinquesyllabic endings 8
III.
I
IV.
i
4
The above table speaks for itself. It shows that as the
books proceed, Propertius eschews more and more all
d
xlviii INTRODUCTION
endings other than the dissyllabic, and that his verse was
gradually conforming to the precise laws which became
perfect and stereotyped in the verse of Ovid. It is
evident that the whole of the poems of Book IV were
written during the latest period of his art, and that it is
impossible to refer any of them to the earlier period
when he systematically revelled in the use of the longer
endings. Some valuable observations on the metre of Pro-
pertius will be found in Dr. Postgate's Introd., p. cxxvi.
One more question has been started : was the rupture
with Cynthia which took place in B. C. 23 absolutely final ?
We know that she did not long survive the rupture : was
the old intimacy ever renewed before her death ? One
poem only, 4. 7, alludes to the death of Cynthia. This
poem represents a dream in which the spirit of Cynthia
appears to Propertius after death, rebukes him for for-
getting their love so soon, and reproaches him with not
having been present to conduct the ceremonies of her
funeral. She then proceeds to give the poet various
instructions. Dr. Postgate (Introduction, p. xxv) has
made a most interesting analysis of this poem. He holds
it to prove that the lovers had been once more reconciled,
that she had died leaving to Propertius the disposal of
her effects, that in the prostration of grief he had neglected
all the 'death duties,' and that he wrote this poem as an
expression of contrition. His interpretation is fair and
ingenious ; but it would unnecessarily lower Propertius
in our estimation. If the quarrel was never made
up, and she died while they were still estranged, it was
quite natural that he should take no part in her obsequies,
and the other arrangements connected with her death.
But to suppose that they were friends at the time of her
death, and that he proved utterly neglectful of the com-
monest offices of friendship to her remains, nay even
outraged his former love by conduct showing blank in-
difference to her memory, is to suppose that he had lost
TO PROPERTIUS. xlix
all sensibility, and that Propertius the man was something
wholly different from the Propertius disclosed to us in
his poems. It is more pleasing to suppose that the
quarrel never was healed ; that Cynthia died in estrange-
ment, and that Propertius in consequence took no part in
her funeral ; but that soon afterwards a feeling of remorse
and contrition came over him, to which he gave ex-
pression in a poem confessing his coldness, and acknow-
ledging the claims which, after all, she still possessed upon
his regard. But the poem is not the work of a heart-
broken man ; and its tone affords additional confirmation
of the view that Propertius' muse was not at once chilled
into silence by the death of Cynthia.
As might well be supposed, Propertius counted among
his friends all, or almost all, of the famous poets of his
time. In 3. 26. 31 he pays a noble tribute to Virgil ;
Ovid, as we have seen, tells us that Propertius was his
intimate friend, and that he himself used often to hear
him recite his poems. Ponticus, the epic poet, is ad-
dressed in 1.7, Bassus in 1.4, and a tragic poet, Lynceus,
is mentioned in 2. 34. But what of Horace, the period of
whose best lyrical activity so closely coincided with his
own ? He is never named: yet the two must have met
on the common ground of literature, and in the house
of Maecenas. They were men of very different temper :
the easy-going well-bred and self-controlled man of the
world may well have sneered at the morbidly sensitive
and capricious enthusiast whose key was often one
of exaggeration : and the ill-regulated impetuosity of the
Umbrian bard may have felt repelled by the serene and
critical self-confidence of the Epicurean, whose easy man-
ners might be mistaken by the vain self-conscious poet
for the airs of 'a superior person.' Neither poet ever
names the other: and the careful analysis made by Dr.
Postgateof Hor. Ep. 2.87 (Introd., p. xxxiii) leads strongly
to the conclusion that that passage is an elaborate attack
d 2
1 INTRODUCTION
upon Propertius. Be that as it may, it is certain at
any rate that no intimacy can have existed between
the two poets. Tibullus also is never mentioned through-
out the poems.
MSS. and Editions of Propertius.
The text of Propertius is notoriously in an unsatis-
factory condition : amongst the texts of the great Roman
poets there is none which presents difficulties so great.
The comparative value of the existing MSS. of Pro-
pertius, and their mutual relation to each other, have not
even yet been settled beyond dispute. Of these the first
to be mentioned is
K" or Codex Neapolitanus. The superiority of this
famous MS. had been established by Lachmann 1 , and
accepted as an article of faith by succeeding editors,
including Professor A. Palmer, who published his admir-
able critical edition of the text in 1880 ; but it has
been called in question by L. Mueller, and more recently
by A. Baehrens, whose elaborate critical edition (1880)
is founded upon a theory which assigns to this MS. only
a subordinate position in the constitution of the text.
In 1884, however, *iere appeared a French work on
Propertius by M. Frederic Plessis a work which in
its grasp, lucidity, and critical acumen does honour to
French scholarship which controverts the conclusions
of Baehrens, and, upon evidence which will probably
be accepted by future editors as conclusive, pronounces
the Neapolitans to be beyond question the oldest, and,
in consequence, the most authoritative, of the MSS.
of our poet. In this he agrees with Professor Palmer,
1 Who, however, places it only second in importance, after
the Groninganus.
TO PROPERTIUS. li
who has himself carefully examined the MS. in question.
This MS. is now in the ducal library at Wolfenbiittel :
it is called Neapolitanns (or N. throughout this edition)
because it was inspected at Naples by N. Heinsius;
and from the fact that the name Manetti is written in
faint letters on its last page, it seems to have once been
the property of a scholar of that name who died at
Naples in the year 1459. The MS. is on parchment, of
large octavo size ; it is composed of seventy-one leaves,
and contains no writing but Propertius. At the beginning
are the usual words Incipit Propertius : at the end Ex-
plicit, Books I and II are not separated : there is
an interval between III and IV. There is no title, nor
space left for a title, at the beginning of the different
poems : but the initial word of each is marked by an
illuminated letter. A good many of the leaves are
damaged; one leaf, containing 4. n. 17-76, has been lost
altogether ; and three different pens or hands can be
recognised as having been employed in the transcription.
The history of the MS. is not known. Lachmann,
followed by Hertzberg, assigned it to the thirteenth cen-
tury : L. Mueller puts it at the fourteenth, or more
probably the fifteenth, while Baehrens declares it cannot
be older than 1430. All agree that the writing presents
certain characteristics of an earlier date than this ; but
Baehrens explains these away by supposing that the MS.
was written in Italy, and that certain archaisms of writing
lingered on in that country after they had been exploded
elsewhere. M. Plessis has carefully examined the MS.
anew ; and backed by the authority of two French palaeo-
graphists M. Leopold Delisle and M. Chatelain he
declares positively that it cannot be assigned to a later
date than the beginning of the thirteenth century. This
conclusion he founds upon six distinct peculiarities in the
handwriting, the concurrence of which, he asserts, per-
mits no doubt as to the date :
lii INTRODUCTION
1. The initial letters are frequently illuminated in
green : green initial letters disappeared about A. D. 1220.
2. The writing of the diphthong ae by (with a cedilla)
as durg for durae I. I. 10, doming for dominae I. I. 21.
3. The placing of dots over double / (as in Partheniis
I. i. n) to distinguish them from the letter u, whereas
the single i has no dot.
4. The use of the sign & in place of et at the end of a
word, as in oportb 4. 2. I, valSc 4. 2. 7, etc.
5. The constant use of the straight letter fin preference
to the curved form s.
6. The use of a / written so that the head never rises
above the line, as thus, /*.
A controversy of this kind can only be decided by
experts in palaeography ; but a careful study of the
various readings given in this edition will, it is believed,
bring out clearly the great superiority, on intrinsic grounds,
of the readings of N. as compared with those of any other
single MS.
In the rank next to N. come four MSS., as to the value
of which again Baehrens holds views differing from those
of other editors.
V. or Codex Ottoboniano-Vaticanus, No. 1514. This
MS. is at Rome, in the Vatican Library. Attention
was first called to it by Baehrens, who has collated it,
and given to it, together with the three other MSS. to be
named next, a rank superior even to that of N. It is
written on parchment (M. Plessis says on vellum); it is
1 These indications L. Mueller disposes of by supposing that
a transcriber in the fifteenth century amused himself by imitating
the writing of the thirteenth an argument which might be
pushed so as to destroy all evidence of antiquity derived from
handwriting ; M. Baehrens by the hypothesis that the form of
character in S. Italy was two centuries (1) behind that of N.
Europe. See M. Plessis, p. 12 sqq.
TO PROPERTIUS. liii
in large octavo form ; it contains eighty-three leaves, and
contains Propertius only. A series of corrections and
erasures have been made in it by a later hand ; these
occur not only in the margin and between the lines, but
actually in the text itself. The readings of this hand are
indicated by the sign V 2 . M. Baehrens assigns the MS.
definitely to the end of the fourteenth century, the cor-
rections to the fifteenth century. M. Plessis, on the other
hand, has had the MS. examined by competent experts,
who place it as late as the year 1450. The first letter of
the poems, as well as the first letters of the third and
fourth books, is illuminated. Almost all the elegies have
a coloured title at their head.
D. or Codex Daventriensis, so called because it is now
at Deventer in the Netherlands, numbered 1792. It is
oblong in shape, is on parchment, occupies sixty-eight
pages, and contains Propertius only. The first leaf, con-
taining up to I. 2. 14, is lost. It is written in a beautiful
hand : there are no corrections in the text, but there are
a number of various readings by a contemporaneous hand
in the margin. Baehrens declares it to be 'unus ex
optimis codicibus Propertianis,' and dates it from 1410-
1420. M. Plessis is inclined to assign to it the same date
as to V., i. e. about 1450.
F. or Codex Laurentianus, so called because now in the
Laurentian Library at Florence. It is in quarto, written
on parchment, contains seventy-three leaves, and has at
the end the words Liber Colucii pyerii, and then, added in
another hand, Liber Cosme Johannis de M edicts. There
are many corrections, taken from various sources, by a
somewhat later hand, some in the margin, some between
the lines : the readings of this hand are indicated in the
notes by the sign F 2 . Baehrens assigns this MS. to the
very beginning of the fifteenth century.
A. or Codex Vossianus, now at Leyden, is in large
octavo, on parchment ; it has sixteen leaves, and extends
liv INTRODUCTION
only as far as 2. i. 63. Its style of writing and abbre-
viations prove it to belong to the fourteenth century:
there are no intervals between the poems, but the initial
letters are distinguished, and there are titles on the margin.
Baehrens gives 1360 as its date.
G. or Codex Groninganus, so called because now at
Groningen, is of a small octavo size, and contains forty-
six leaves. It was written by an Italian in the fifteenth
century, and Professor Palmer, who has examined it, agrees
with Baehrens in pronouncing it of no value. It has an
importance however in the history of the text from the
fact that Lachmann considered it the best of all the MSS.
of our poet, assigning to N. only the place next below it.
Worthy of mention also is
Per. or Codex Perusinus, which is in fact none
other than the Codex Cuicianus of Scaliger, and which
was re-discovered by Professor Palmer in 1874 in the
library of Mr. H. Alan. It was written at Perugia in
1467 by the poet Pacificus Maximus, whence Mr. Palmer
has given it the name of Perusinus. He has given
a collation of it at the end of his edition, and attaches
some value to its readings. One reading at least has
been restored from it in this edition. Lastly may be
mentioned the
Codex Hamburgensis, now at Hamburg, a small
quarto, written in Italy at some period of the fifteenth
century. It contains Catullus, Tibullus, and Propertius.
It has been much corrected, but Hertzberg attaches
considerable weight to it, and M. Plessis considers it
scarcely inferior to the MSS. of Baehrens. It follows
mainly the authority of F., and agrees generally with
N. A. and F., though it sometimes agrees with D. and V.
It may be considered as one of the best of the fifteenth
century MSS. ; Baehrens, while valuing it because tran-
scribed from F. though not till after F. had suffered
corruption does not distinguish it from the rest of the
TO PROPERTIUS. Iv
interpolated family which he designates by the sign r
( = Z in this edition).
With regard to the relationship of the four MSS., A. F.
V. and D., Baehrens has propounded a theory of his own,
the grounds for which, such as they are, he has explained
in his Prolegomena. He believes that the original MS. of
Propertius, which was discovered some time in the four-
teenth century and is now lost, was twice copied about the
middle of that century : one of these copies, he holds, is
represented by the MSS. A. and F., of which the latter is
inferior to and later than the former. The other copy is
preserved to us in V. and D. Thus A. and F. constitute
one family of copies, D. and V. constitute another family ;
and the corrections of the second hand in V. and F.
(called in this edition V 2 . and F 2 .) are due to the scholars
of the fifteenth century, who corrected mistakes in some
cases by transferring readings from the. one family to
the other, in others by sheer invention. He thus holds
that a judicious comparison of the readings of these
two families (excluding the corrections in V. and F.)
will enable us to reconstruct in great measure the original
archetype from which the first two copies were derived.
To this supposed archetype he gives the sign of O., a
mode of designation which has been adopted for con-
venience sake in this edition, although, as will be seen,
with a somewhat different meaning.
We have now to ask, what weight is to be attached to
this ingenious theory? A careful examination of the re-
corded readings will show that Baehrens is right in classing
A. F. as one family, and D. V. as another : but what of O.
and N. ? It is obvious that his view of O. must depend
upon his being able to show that N. is a more recent, and a
less trustworthy, MS. than the four upon which he chiefly
relies : whereas Mr. Ellis, Mr. Palmer, M. Plessis and
to a considerable -extent F. LeV agree in holding it to
1 Rheinisches Museum, vol. xxxv, 1880, p. 431.
Ivi INTRODUCTION
be the oldest and most authoritative of all. Baehrens
dates it about 1430 : he regards it therefore as a MS. of
the interpolated type, belonging to the same family as
A. F., but taking some of its readings for D. V., and dis-
figured in some places by Italian conjectures, in others
by reproducing the corrections of F 2 . and V 2 . But M.
Plessis, as we have seen, upsets Baehrens' dates on
palaeographic grounds : he makes JJ. some 200 years
older, V. some 50 years younger, than does Baehrens :
while he regards A. D. F. as being all about the same
age, viz. of the end of the fourteenth century. Further,
both Mr. Ellis ' and M. Plessis have pointed out various
passages in which A.F.D.V. are all corrupt, while N. alone
has preserved the true reading : while both F. Lo and
M. Plessis point out that wherever F 2 . and V 2 . agree with
N., the reading is correct. In addition, N. is distinctly
superior in orthography ; it does not give the false name
of Aurelius or Nauta to the poet ; and Mr. Ellis * has in-
geniously shown that even in passages where it blunders,
it blunders because the copyist preferred faithfully to
copy the MS. before him, rather than introduce obvious
corrections. Finally, M. Plessis' view as to the date of N.
is confirmed by Mr. E. Maunde Thompson, of the British
Museum, an authority of the highest mark 2 .
From these arguments the conclusion remains that N.
is the best existing MS., being the oldest representative
of the family A.F. ; that D.V. form another family, equal to
A. F. but inferior to N. ; that the corrections of F 2 . and V 2 .
have been largely taken from N. or from some equally
good MS. ; while G. and H. G. have mixed in an uncer-
tain degree the readings of the two families. A careful
examination of the readings given in the critical notes
1 American Journal of Philology, vol. i. no. 4.
a See Mr. R. Ellis' review of M. Plessis' book in the Amer.
Journal of Phil. 1886.
TO PROPERTIUS. Ivii
will confirm these conclusions, and show that while
paramount importance is to be attached to N., the
readings of F 2 . and V 2 . are extremely valuable, while
the agreement of the three, as M. Plessis says, amounts
to a certainty. The important reading natat, 3. 7. 22,
comes from F 2 .
In this edition the sign O. is used, as by Baehrens, but
in a slightly different sense. Baehrens uses it to denote
the supposed archetype, the readings of which are to be
gathered from a consensus either of all the MSS. or of
what he regards as the good MSS., viz. A. D. F. V. in
opposition to N. F 2 . V a . In this edition O. is used to
denote the consensus of these same MSS. (or, what is the
same thing, the archetype of those four MSS.), but to the
exclusion of N., the readings of which are stated separately.
Baehrens' O. includes N., except- when the contrary is
stated ; and as he does not attach much importance to
N., he has been less particular in recording its readings.
The Editio Princeps of Propertius appeared at Venice
in 1472, and from that day to this new editions have been
poured forth in a continuous stream. The most important
are those of Muretus (1558), of Scaliger (1577), who con-
fused the text by endless and arbitrary transpositions, of
Dousa (1588), of Passerat (1608), containing a perfect
storehouse of illustrations, of G. Barth (1777), of Bur-
mann (1780), and the somewhat lumbersome edition of
Kinnoel (1805). The first great step to the purification
of the text was made by Lachmann in his first edition of
1816 : he was the first to distinguish the comparative
value of the leading MSS., in the main correctly : but he
has been the author of infinite confusion by re-arranging
many of the poems, and by introducing on arbitrary
grounds the division into five books against the authority
of the MSS. In 1829 he published a second edition, in
which, without explanation, he gave up almost all the
conjectures of his first edition. The references to Lach-
Iviii INTRODUCTION
mann in the notes of this edition are to the read-
ings of the edition of 1816. In 1835 appeared the very
useful French edition published by Lemaire ; and from
1843 to 1845 appeared the great edition of Hertzberg,
both critical and explanatory. It is the great standard
edition, full of matter of every description, but unequal
and ill-arranged, and, like so many learned German works,
frequently deficient in taste and judgment. Of Baehrens'
work we have already spoken. His critical apparatus is
the most complete that has yet been published ; but his
text is injured by his predisposition to depreciate N., and
disfigured by many wild and tasteless conjectures. Many
of these, doubtless, will be abandoned in his next edition,
and it may be thought that too many of them have been
noticed in this edition. But his authority is great, his
edition is quoted as a standard edition, and it is well
to show in particular instances what are the taste and
judgment of the critic who makes such large demands
upon our confidence. The edition of L. Mueller in the
Teubner series is less adventuresome, and follows mainly
in the lines of Lachmann. In England we have the very
full and serviceable commentary of Paley, published
in 1853 and 1872 ; and in 1880 Professor Palmer pub-
lished his admirable critical edition of the text, which
has brought out in a striking way the true value of N.
by exhibiting in italics every word, even every letter, in
which the reading adopted departs from that MS. The
notes are in the best spirit of modern critical scholarship :
their only fault is that they are too few. Different alto-
gether in scope and aim is the delightful selection of
Professor Postgate (1881), which includes about one-fourth
of the works of our poet, selected on a principle different
from that followed in this edition. The explanatory notes
are of first-rate quality ; but the chief value and originality
of the book lies in the Introduction, which contains the
most complete and thoughtful study that has yet appeared
TO PROPERTIUS. lix
of the style, the language, the grammar, the temperament
and literary position of our poet. Nor can we omit to men-
tion the very useful school selections of Schultze (Second
Edition, Berlin, 1882), and the scholarlike notes of Mr.
Finder contained in his ' Selections from the less-known
Latin Poets,' Clarendon Press, 1869. Propertius has been
well translated into English Verse by Dr. Cranstoun
(1875) and by Mr. C. R. Moore (1870).
Jan. 6, 1887.
APPENDIX TO THE SECOND
EDITION.
SINCE the above was written, a new advance has been
made in the criticism of Propertius by the appearance of
three masterly articles by Professor A. E. Housman in
the Journal of Philology, Nos. 41, 42, and 43 (Vols. xxi and
xxii). Amid the masses of dull ill-digested learning which
are too often put forth under the name of textual criticism,
it is refreshing to find a critic who puts life and reality
into the discussion of various readings, and applying to
his facts sound sense and vigorous logic, shows exactly
what conclusions may, or may not, be fairly drawn from
them. To see what interest and vitality may be imparted
to such a subject, by the mode of treatment, the student
must refer to the articles themselves : it is enough here to
put before him the conclusions at which Prof. Housman
has arrived, and to indicate the kind of reasoning by
which he has reached them. His results do not radically
alter the view taken above of the general relative value of
Ix INTRODUCTION
the MSS. of Propertius ; but they put the whole criticism
of our author upon a firmer basis by showing exactly, from
internal evidence, what contribution each of the principal
MSS. has made towards the constitution of the true Pro-
pertian text, and by brushing aside exclusive theories
unduly favouring one MS. at the expense of the rest
His conclusions are as follows. There are seven inde-
pendent authorities, every one of which must be employed
if we would reconstruct the Propertian archetype. These
are (as given above) N. A. F. D. V. F 1 ., and V 2 . No
other existing MS. has any independent value. A. F. D.
and V. are all the offspring of a lost original O., A. and F.
representing one family of descendants, D. and V. another.
N. is an independent MS. of great value, containing certain
elements not derived from O., but derived from a MS.
parallel to O., which he calls Z. This Z. must have been
of at least equal authority with O., both of them being
descended (through whatever number of links) from the
original archetype, to which may be assigned the name
of a. But while N. has elements which are independent
of the four MSS. A. F. and D. V., nevertheless it has also
many elements which are common to them : and the
facts seem to show that though the transcriber of N. did
not have access to any one of those four MSS., he
nevertheless derived some readings from a MS. (not
known) belonging to the same family as A. F. and also
some readings (fewer in number) from a MS. belonging
to the family D. V. Thus N. is derived from three
different sources :
(1) From a MS. allied to A. F.;
(2) From a MS. allied to D. V. ;
(3) From a MS. Z., wholly independent of both the
above families, and also independent of their common
progenitor O.
Thus N., valuable as it is, is valuable rather as an
edition, drawing from different good sources, than as
TO PROPERTIUS. Ixi
being itself a MS. of incontestable integrity, claiming
superiority as the single and best transmitter of the
original text.
F 2 . and V 2 . had also access to Z. ; hence their frequent
similarity to N.
The following propositions give the principal steps in
the argument by which the above conclusions are arrived
at. Each proposition is founded upon a critical examina-
tion of the variants given by the different MSS. in disputed
passages. Those who wish to master all the evidence
adduced, must refer to the articles themselves; the
references given below are solely to passages contained in
the present selection. The student can thus look up each
passage for himself, examine the various readings given
in the notes, and pass his own judgment upon them.
(1) The following (amongst many other) passages
show that N. has an element superior to O. (O. standing
for the four MSS. A. F. D. and V. when in agreement with
one another), viz. i. 18. 16 ; 3. 5. 6 ; 3. 7. 49 ; 4. 3. 55.
(2) The following show a slight corruption in N.,
a more advanced corruption in O. : 2. 13. 49; 3. 4. 4;
3- 22. 3.
(3) In the following N. is absolutely right, or nearly so
while O. is wrong : i. 18. 19 ; 2. 28. 9 ; 3. i. 5 ; 3. i. 27 ;
3.4. 19; 3. 5.34; 3. u. 14; 3.22.27; 4.3. 51; 4-3-59;
4. 4. 30 ; 4. 6. 79.
(4) In various cases N. exhibits a superior spelling to O.
The inference from the above is that N. contains a
genuine element which was not contained in O.
(5) But, on the other hand, there are passages in which
O. has preserved readings superior to those of N. See
2. 2. i; 3. 1.23; 3. 2. 3; 3.7. 46; 3. 18.24; 3- " 25;
3. 22. 14.
(6) In some cases the spelling of O. is superior to that
ofN.
(7) In some passages N. and O. have both gone wrong,
Ixii INTRODUCTION
and seem equidistant from the truth (as in 4. 3. n) ; in
others, both have good readings, between which it is
impossible to decide. See I. 8. 45 ; 2. 13. 58; 3. 7. 25 ;
4- 4- 57-
The inference from the above is that O. contains a
genuine element not contained in N., and hence that
neither can be derived from the other. Their common
source must be superior to both.
If, again, we examine the two families A. F. and D. V.
respectively as representatives of O-, we find that
(8) A. F. is sometimes better than D. V. : see I. 8. 26 ;
I. 19. 13; 2. 3. 23, 24; 2. 10. ii ; 2. 28. 47 ; 2. 31. 10;
3. 11.44; 4- 6. 25.
(9) In other passages, D. V. is better than A. F. :
1. 8. 7 ; I. 8. 19; I. 8. 27 ; 2. 10. 22 ; 2. n. 2 ; 2. 28. 29 ;
3.2.4; 3. 5.24; 3. ii. 51; 4-6. 75-
(10) In some passages where A. F. and D. V. differ,
they are equidistant from the true reading (as in 3. 2. 22;
4. ii. 60) ; in others they have different, but equally good
readings : I. 8. 15 ; 4. 3. 8 ; 4. ii. 26.
(11) The spelling is sometimes better in A. F., some-
times in D. V.
// thus appears that we must use both the families, A. F.
and D. V., if we would get at the true reading of O.
(12) If again we take these four MSS. singly (A. F.
D. and V.), we find that each of them in turn is the sole
preserver of a true reading in one or more passages : hence
all four deserve attention as representatives ofQ. A. has
alone preserved the true spelling of solacia in I. 5. 27 ; F.
has a striking superiority over both D. V. and N. in
2. i. 32 (atratus), and in 2. I. 49. D. alone preserves the
true reading in seven passages ; V. alone in 3. I. 26 (isse)
and in perhaps two or three others.
(13) Next comes the question, what is the relation of
N. to O. ? When the two families differ, N. more often
sides with A. F., but sometimes also with D. V. : and it
TO PROPERTIUS. Ixiii
generally shows the best reading. But N. did not know
O. directly : it seems to have derived its knowledge of O.
mainly from a MS. of the A. F. family (it will be noted
that A. only extends down to 2. I. 63) but also in part
from one of the D. V. family.
Thus N. so far as it represents O. is to be regarded as
founded mainly on A. .F., but adopting many true and
easy readings from D. V.
(14) Lastly, what of F 2 . and V 2 .? In many places
where N. is better than O., that same better reading is
found in F 2 . or V' 2 . ; in some passages, these alone
preserve the true reading (see 2. 2. 4 ; 2. 12. 28 ; 4.4. 64).
But many of N.'s readings, when they differ from O., are
not in V 2 . or F 2 . : and these give many readings not in N.
It is clear, therefore, that they are not copied from one
another, but that where both have common elements
they were taken from some common source.
Prof. Housman thus sums up his conclusions :
' It has been demonstrated, against Baehrens, that N.
contains a genuine element which A. F. D. V. do not
contain, and it has been demonstrated, against Solbisky,
Plessis, and Weber, that this genuine element in N. is not
derived from the archetype of A. F. D. V., but from an
independent source whence F 2 . and V 2 . have also derived
a genuine element not possessed by A. F. D. V. It
has been further shown that N. contains a second element
drawn from a MS. of the family A. F., and a third and
smaller element from a MS. of the family D. V. It has
been demonstrated, against Mr. Leo, that A. F. D. V.
contain a genuine element which N. does not contain,
and it has been demonstrated, against Mr. Solbisky, that
the two families A. F. and D. V. deserve equal credence
as witnesses to their archetype O. It has been shown
also that each of the four codices A. F. D. V. preserves
fragments of truth peculiar to itself.
' Hence follows as a necessary consequence, that the
e
Ixiv INTRODUCTION
seven authorities N. A. F. D. V. F 2 . V 2 . are independent
witnesses and must all be employed if we would re-
construct the Propertian archetype.
' Finally it has been shown that the residue of the MSS.
exhibit no element of genuine tradition not possessed by
one or other of these, whence it follows that they are
derived from these, and are therefore to be cast aside.'
More recently still, an important contribution to Pro-
pertian criticism has been made by Dr. Postgate in the
Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society for
1894. In that paper he publishes, inter alia, a collation,
with a facsimile, of a MS. now in the Holkham Library, to
which he assigns the name of L. This MS., written in
1481, is closely related to F.,and appears to be derived, in the
main, from the same source as F. ; it is therefore of value
as affording evidence of the readings of the A. F. family
from 2. I. 63, the point at which A. fails us. But whilst
L. is thus probably derived from the exemplar of F., it
contains other elements also, which seem to be derived
from the D. V. family, not from N. : and Dr. Postgate
concludes that before L. was copied from the exemplar of
F., that exemplar had been corrected from a MS.
belonging to the family D. V.
Dr. Postgate accepts, in the main, the conclusions of
Mr. Housman, though he considers that he is disposed
to attach too much weight to the testimony of single
manuscripts, and that he scarcely does justice to N.,
either as regards its date or its authority. He holds
the view given above as to the early date of N., whereas
Mr. Housman is prepared to acquiesce in the later date
suggested by Mueller and Baehrens ; and he defends the
primacy of N. with no uncertain sound :
'At the end of his paper Mr. Housman puts the
question, " Which is the best MS. of Propertius?" and
returns himself the answer, " There is no best MS. of
Propertius." This denial of supremacy is of course aimed
TO PROPERTIUS. Ixv
at the " worshipped Neapolitanus," as it is elsewhere
invidiously denominated. If it means that there is no
codex of Propertius as eminent as the Parisinus of
Demosthenes or the Vaticanus of Valerius Flaccus, no
one will dispute it. But if it means that N. is notflritttus,
or rather facile princeps, inter pares, the judgment will
not, I imagine, receive the assent of the critics of the
future, who will, unless I am much mistaken, pronounce
on the contrary that the Neapolitanus is the best MS. of
Propertius best as being the oldest of our witnesses, best
again as the one that presents the greatest amount of
truth with the smallest amount of falsehood.'
THE UNIVERSITY, GLASGOW,
May 13, 1895.
SIGNS USED TO DESIGNATE THE MSS.
1. TIBULLUS.
A = Codex Ambrosianus.
V = Codex Vaticanus.
G = Codex Guelferbytanus.
G* = the second hand of the same MS.
O =the consensus of AVG.
Par. = Excerpta Parisina.
Fris. = Excerpta Frisingensia.
Plant. = the readings of the Fragment (F) preserved by Scaliger in
his Plantinian Edition.
Z = the readings of the more modern and interpolated MSS.
2. PBOPEKTIUS.
N = Codex Neapolitans.
A = Codex Vossianus.
F = Codex Laurentianus
D = Codex Daventriensis.
V = Codex Ottoboniano- Vaticanus.
F 3 V = the second hands of F and V.
G = Codex Groninganus.
Hb = Codex Hamburgensis.
Per = Codex Perusinus.
O = the O of Baehrens, except that it does not include N, the readings
of which are given separately. Baehrens thus defines his use of
the sign O :
' O = archetypus saeculo XIV reptrtus ex consensu sive om-
nium codicum sive bonorum A. D. V. m. i V. m. i (oppositis
N. F. m. a V. m. 2) restitutus.'
Z = the readings of the Italian Scholars in MSS. of the interpolated
class.
The abbreviation Hous. refers to the articles by Professor A. E.
Housman in the Journal of Philology, Vols. xxi and xxii.
NOTE. The readings attributed to Lachmann in the notes are
taken from his first edition of 1 816. These were practically all given
up in the second edition of 1829. In the following cases the readings
attributed to Lachmann are only suggested in his notes, but not
inserted in his text, viz. unde for omne I. 14. 5 ; dignus amor for
digna soror 2. 2. 6 ; Ipsa . . . sorte for Ilia . . .fata 2. 28. 26 ; Ei
scelus ! for Et satis 4. 4. 1 7 ; and nuts for malts in 4. 1 1 . 70.
TIBULLUS, I. i.
1 6. Let others seek for wealth through war and peril ; be
mine a life of poverty and peace at home.
DIVITIAS alius fulvo sibi congerat auro
Et teneat culti iugera multa soli,
Quern labor assiduus vicino terreat hoste,
Martia cui somnos classica pulsa fugent :
Me mea paupertas vitae traducat inerti, 5
Dum meus assiduo luceat igne focus.
f 24. Here "will I plant the vine and apple, and look for in-
crease in my fruits, giving service due to every rustic
god: nor shall ye, Lares, be forgotten out of my humble
store.
Ipse seram teneras maturo tempore vites
Rusticus et facili grandia poma manu:
Nee Spes destituat, sed frugum semper acervos
Praebeat et pleno pinguia musta lacu. 10
Nam veneror, seu stipes habet desertus in agris
Seu vetus in trivio florida serta lapis :
Et quodcumque mihi pomum novus educat annus,
Libatum agricolae ponitur ante deo.
The parts of this poem have been variously transposed by different
editors. Baehrens arranges it thus: w. 1-6, 25-36, 7-24, 37-78.
L. Mueller (Teubner edition), following Haase, thus : 1-6, 25-34,
7-12, 15-18, 13, 14, 19-24, 35-78.
2. multa G Par. Fris. Diomedes. magna AVG 2 . 5. vite
(= vitae) AV vita G Par. Fris. 7. feram Par. 12. Jlorida O
jiorea Z. 13. donum conj. L. Mueller. 14. agricolae . . .
dcum O agricolae . . . deo Muretus agricolam-deum Pucci.
2 TIBULLUS, I. I., 15-34.
Flava Ceres, tibi sit nostro de rure corona 15
Spicea, quae templi pendeat ante fores:
Pomosisque ruber custos ponatur in hortis
Terreat ut saeva fake Priapus aves.
Vos quoque, felicis quondam, nunc pauperis agri
Custodes, fertis munera vestra, Lares. 20
Tune vitula innumeros lustrabat caesa iuvencos :
Nunc agna exigui est hostia parva soli.
Agna cadet vobis, quam circum rustica pubes
Clamet ' io messes et bona vina date.'
25 36. So may I live content by stream and shade, thinking
no shame to tend my flock, and honouring Pales for their
lam modo iam possim contentus vivere parvo, 25
Nee semper longae deditus esse viae,
Sed Canis aestivos ortus vitare sub umbra
Arboris ad rivos praetereuntis aquae.
Nee tamen interdum pudeat tenuisse bidentem
Aut stimulo tardos increpuisse boves; 30
Non agnamve sinu pigeat fetumve capellae
Desertum oblita matre referre domum.
At vos exiguo pecori, furesque lupique,
Parcite : de magno est praeda petenda grege.
15. sit O Jit conj. Lambinus. 17. ponatur O donatur Lam-
binus, Baehrens. \Q. felicis OV felices A. 23. cadet O. Bae.
conj. cadit. 24. Clamat V Clamet O. 25. Iam modo iam
possim Fris. Iam modo non possum O Quippe ego iam possum Par.
Iam mihi iam possim Mueller lam modo iam possum Guy Iam
modo si possum Lach. Dissen conj. Iam modico possum contentus
vivere in agro. 28. rivos O rivum Burmann rivom Bae.
20. bidentem G Par. bidentes V ludentes A. 32. donum V.
34. est O om. by Fris.
TIBULLUS, I. I., 35-54. 3
Hie ego pastoremque meum lustrare quot annis 35
Et placidam soleo spargere lacte Palem.
37 48. Spurn not my humble gifts, ye Gods, for I seek not
wealth ; enough for me to lie in ease, and hear the wild
wind and rain without.
Adsitis, divi, nee vos e paupere mensa
Dona nee e puris spernite fictilibus.
Fictilia antiquus primum sibi fecit agrestis
Pocula, de facili composuitque luto. 40
Non ego divitias patrum fructusque requiro,
Quos tulit antique condita messis avo:
Parva seges satis est, satis est requiescere lecto,
Si licet, et solito membra levare toro.
Quam iuvat immites ventos audire cubantem, 45
Et dominam tenero detinuisse sinu !
Aut, gelidas hibernus aquas cum fuderit auster,
Securum somnos imbre iuvante sequi]
49 56. Seek thou, Messalla, for the spoils of war : I court no
glory, if only Delia be mine.
Hoc mihi contingat : sit dives hire, furorem
Qui maris et tristes ferre potest pluvias. 50
O quantum est auri pereat potiusque smaragdi,
Quam fleat ob nostras ulla puella- vias.
Te bellare decet terra, Messalla, marique,
Ut domus hostiles praeferat exuvias:
37- Vos quoque adeste dei Par. neu O ncc Par. Z. 41. fruc-
tusque AV fructusve Or Par. 43. satis est uno Par. 44.
Scilicet O Par. 46. detimiisse Z contitmissc O turn tenuisse
Bac. 48. imbre G Par. igne AV. 49. sit G Par. si
AV iurc O rure Par. 50. et celi nubila ferre potest Par.
51. pereat potiusque O pereat pereantque Bae. 54. hostiles G
exiles AV {V ostiles\
B 2
4 TIBULLUS, I. i., 55-78.
Me retinent vinctum formosae vincla puellae, 55
Et sedeo duras ianitor ante fores.
57 74. When Death comes, Delia, thou wilt duly weep for
me : let us love meanwhile, till sluggish Age steals on.
Non ego laudari euro, mea Delia : tecum
Dum modo sim, quaeso segnis inersque vocer.
Te spectem, suprema mihi cum venerit hora,
Te teneam moriens deficiente manu. 60
Flebis et arsuro positum me, Delia, lecto,
Tristibus et lacrimis oscula mixta dabis.
Flebis : non tua sunt duro praecordia ferro
Vincta, nee in tenero stat tibi corde silex.
Illo non iuvenis poterit de funere quisquam 65
Lumina, non virgo, sicca referre domum.
Tu Manes ne laede meos, sed parce solutis
Crinibus et teneris, Delia, parce genis.
Interea, dum fata sinunt, iungamus amores:
lam veniet tenebris Mors adoperta caput: 70
lam subrepet iners aetas, nee amare decebit,
Dicere nee cano blanditias capiti.
Nunc levis est tractanda Venus, dum frangere postes
Non pudet, et rixas inseruisse iuvat.
75 78. No wars but these be mine, and to despise wealth and
penury alike !
Hie ego dux milesque bonus : vos, signa tubaeque,
Ite procul, cupidis vulnera ferte viris. 76
59, QQ. Te ...Te Z Et . . . Et O cf. Ovid Am. 3. 9. 58.
63. duro G dura V corr. V 2 . 64. Vincta G Fris. iuncta AV.
67. Tu O turn Haupt. Bae. 72. capiti Z capite O Par. Bae.
Hiller. 74. conseruisse Z inseruisse O.
TIBULLUS, I. 3., 1-12.
Ferte et opes : ego composito securus acervo
Despiciam dites despiciamque famem.
I- 3-
1 1O. Wliile thou speedest on, Messalla, here must I stay,
alone and ill. O spare me, Death ! I have no mother
here, no sister, to honour me if I die : no Delia.
Ibitis Aegaeas sine me, Messalla, per undas;
O utinam memores ipse cohorsque mei !
Me tenet ignotis aegrum Phaeacia terris:
Abstineas avidas Mors modo nigra manus.
Abstineas, Mors atra, precor : non hie mihi
mater,
Quae legat in maestos ossa perusta sinus;
Non soror, Assyrios cineri quae dedat odores,
Et fleat effusis ante sepulcra comis ;
Delia non usquam; quae me cum mitteret
urbe,
Dicitur ante omnes consuluisse decs.
11 32. When Delia sought the omens, all seemed fair for my
departure : yet how she wept, how loth 1 ivas to go ! Ah !
let no man ever more go forth against the behests of
Love.
Ilia sacras pueri sortes ter sustulit : illi
Rettulit e triviis omina certa puer.
78. Dites despiciam AV.
I. 3. 4. mors modo nigra O mors precor atra G 2 Z. 12.
triviis O trinis Muretus, Bae.
TIBULLUS, I. 3., 13-34.
Cuncta dabant reditus: tamen est deterrita
nusquam,
Quin fleret nostras respiceretque vias.
Ipse ego solator, cum iam mandata dedissem, 15
Quaerebam tardas anxius usque moras.
Aut ego sum causatus aves aut omina dira,
Saturni aut sacram me tenuisse diem.
O quotiens ingressus iter mihi tristia dixi
Offensum in porta signa dedisse pedem ! 20
Audeat invito ne quis discedere Amore, .
Aut sciat egressum se prohibente deo.
23 34. What now avail me, Delia, thy prayers to his? Oh
help me, Goddess ! grant to Delia that she may duly pay
her vows to thee, while I do honour to my own Penates.
Quid tua nunc Isis mihi, Delia, quid mihi prosunt
Ilia tua totiens aera repulsa manu?
Nunc, dea, nunc succurre mihi (nam posse mederi
Picta docet templis multa tabella tuis), 28
Ut mea votivas persolvens Delia voces
Ante sacras lino tecta fores sedeat; 30
Bisque die resoluta comas tibi dicere laudes
Insignis turba debeat in Pharia.
At mihi contingat patrios celebrare penates
Reddereque antique menstrua tura Lari.
13. nusquam Q-V nftquam A nostras Or* hatid deterrita frus-
tra est Z. 14. Quin Aldine ed. 1502 Cum O despueretquc
Haupt respiceretque O respueretque Z. 17. aut Z dant O
omina AG- omnia V owing diro Bae. 18. Saturni sacrain O
Saturni aut sacram G 2 Z Satumive Broukh, Mueller, Hiller.
21. nequis Z neuquis O 25. dum O deum A. 29. Ut AV
et G- voces O nodes Scaliger, Bae. 34. t/iura O.
TIBULLUS, I. 3., 35-52- 7
35 SO. How well it was when Saturn ruled on earth : when
men knew nor ships nor voyages, nor sword nor battle ;
when was no evil for man nor beast ; no barred door,
no stone-marked boundary ; when oaks dropped honey, and
flocks brought full udders home untended.
Quam bene Saturno vivebant rege, prius quam 35
Tellus in longas est patefacta vias !
Nondum caeruleas pinus contempserat undas,
Effusum ventis praebueratque sinum ;
Nee vagus ignotis repetens compendia terris
Presserat externa navita merce ratem. 40
Illo non validus subiit iuga tempore taurus,
Non domito frenos ore momordit equus;
Non domus ulla fores habuit, non fixus in agris,
Qui regeret certis finibus arva, lapis.
Ipsae mella dabant quercus, ultroque ferebant 45
Obvia securis ubera lactis oves.
Non acies, non ira fuit, non bella, nee ensem
Immiti saevus duxerat arte faber.
Nunc love sub domino caedes et vulnera semper,
Nunc mare, nunc leti mille repente viae. 50
51 56. O spare me, Father Jove ! for I am pure', but if my
days are run, may a stone be set to tell how Tibullus
died, how soon, how sadly.
Parce, pater, timidum non me periuria terrent,
Non dicta in sanctos impia verba deos.
37. contempserat O conscenderat Q- 2 Bae. 47. facinus Bae.
rabies Burmann. 50. repente OV 2 reperte AV 1 mill fa reperta
via Z Heyne.
8 TIBULLUS, I. 3., 53-72.
Quod si fatales iam nunc explevimus annos,
Fac lapis inscriptis stet super ossa notis :
' Hie iacet immiti consumptus morte Tibullus, 55
Messallam terra dum sequiturque mari.'
57- 66. Then will Venus lead me to Elysium, to the land of
dance and song, where casia and rose grow unbidden, where
bands of youths and maidens ever sport with Love.
Sed n\e, quod facilis tenero sum semper Amori,
Ipsa Venus campos ducet in Elysios.
Hie choreae cantusque vigent, passimque vagantes
Dulce sonant tenui gutture carmen aves ; 60
Fert casiam non culta seges, totosque per agros
Floret odoratis terra benigna rosis ;
Ac iuvenum series teneris immixta puellis
Ludit, et assidue praelia miscet Amor.
Illic est, cuicumque rapax mors venit amanti, 65
Et gerit insigni myrtea serta coma.
67 82. But in the dark profound lies the accursed Tartarus,
where rages Tisiphon, and Cerberus ever guards ; where are
Ixion and Tityos, Tantalus and the daughters of Danaus.
At scelerata iacet sedjs in nocte profunda
Abdita, quam circum flumina nigra sonant;
Tisiphoneque impexa feros pro crinibus angues
Saevit, et hue illuc impia turba fugit: 70
Tune niger in porta serpentum Cerberus ore
Stridet et aeratas exciibat ante fores.
54. inscriptis O inscriptus or his scriptus Z Heyne. 63. Ac
AQ at V hoc or hie Z. 69. impexa O Par. implexa
Frut. Bae. 71. Palmer suggests per centum Cerberus ora.
TIBULLUS, I. 3-, 73-94- 9
Illic lunonem temptare Ixionis ausi
Versantur celeri noxia membra rota :
Porrectusque novem Tityos per iugera terrae 75
Assiduas atro viscere pascit aves.
Tantalus est illic, et circum stagna : sed acrem
lam iam poturi deserit unda sitim ;
Et Danai proles, Veneris quod numina laesit,
In cava Lethaeas dolia portat aquas. 80
Illic sit, quicumque meos violavit amores,
Optavit lentas et mihi militias.
83 92. But do thou be true, my Delia ; and may the day come
when thou mayest fly to meet me when I come back to
thee, unannounced, as if sent to thee from the heavens,
At tu casta precor maneas, sanctique pudoris
Assideat custos sedula semper anus.
Haec tibi fabellas referat, positaque lucerna 85
Deducat plena stamina longa colu :
Ac circa gravibus pensis affixa puella
Paulatim somno fessa remittat opus.
Tune veniam subito, nee quisquam nuntiet
ante,
Sed videar caelo missus adesse tibi. 90
Tune mihi, qualis eris, longos turbata capillos,
Obvia nudato, Delia, curre pede.
Hoc precor, hunc ilium nobis Aurora nitentem
Luciferum roseis Candida portet equis.
73. temptare A tentare OV. 79. quod AV quae G.
83. casta precor coniunx maneas Par. 86. colo O Par. colu
Fris. Bae. Hil. Muel. 87. Ac O At Par. Bae.
10 TIBULLUS, I. 7., 1-12.
I. 7 .
8. The Fates sang true, Messalla, at thy birth, that the
Atax should tremble before thee, and that thou shouldest
bear along captive kings in triumph.
Hunc cecinere diem Parcae fatalia nentes
Stamina, non ulli dissoluenda deo :
Hunc fore, Aquitanas posset qui fundere gentes,
Quern tremeret forti milite victus Atax.
Evenere : novos pubes Romana triumphos 5
Vidit et evinctos brachia capta duces :
At te victrices lauros, Messalla, gerentem
Portabat niveis currus eburnus equis.
-12. I saw thy glory gained : witness too was the Ocean and
the Pyrenees, the Arar and the Rhone, the Loire and the
Garonne.
Non sine me est tibi partus honos : Tarbella
Pyrene
Testis, et Oceani litora Santonici ;
Testis Arar Rhodanusque celer magnusque
Garunna,
Carnutis et flavi caerula lympha Liger.
I. 7. 3. frangere Q- fundere AV. 4. Atur Scaliger. 6.
evinctos G- victos A (in added by hand 2) evictos~V . 1. lauros Or
lauros AV. 8. niveis Z nitidis O. 9. me est tibi O
marte ibi Bae. Tarbella Scaliger tua bella O. 11. Atur
Duranusque Scaliger garunna Z garumna O geronna Fris.
12. Carnutis Fris. Carnuti Z Carnoti O caerula A Fris.
Garrula Grappe.
TIBULLUS, I. 7., 13-30. II
1322. Or shall I tell ofthee, Cydnus, with thy silent stream,
or thee, mighty Taurus ? of Syria or of Tyre, or of the
wealth-bringing waters of the Nile?
An te, Cydne, canam, tacitis qui leniter undis
Caeruleus placidis per vada serpis aquis;
Quantus et aetherio contingens vertice nubes 15
Frigidus intonsos Taurus alat Cilicas?
Quid referam, ut volitet crebras intacta per urbes
Alba Palaestino sancta columba Syro;
Utque maris vastum prospectet turribus aequor
Prima ratem ventis credere docta Tyros; 20
Qualis et, arentes cum findit Sirius agros,
Fertilis aestiva Nil us abundet aqua?
2328. where hast thou hid thy head, Father Nile ? 'Tis
because of thee that thy land thirsts not for rain : thee
the youth worship, with Osiris and with Apis.
Nile pater, quanam possim te dicere causa
Aut quibus in terris occuluisse caput?
Te propter nullos tellus tua postulat imbres, 25
Arida nee Pluvio supplicat herba lovi.
Te canit atque suum pubes miratur Osirim
Barbara, Memphiten plangere docta bovem.
29 42 . For 'twas Osiris that first tilled the ground, and planted
fruit and vine tree : 'twas Osiris first taught the joyous juice
to flow that prompts to dance and song, that gladdens the
weary husbandman, and loosens the captive's chain.
Primus aratra manu sollerti fecit Osiris,
Et teneram ferro sollicitavit humum ; 30
13. An Z At O tactis qui leniter ttlvis Lach. 14. Caerulea
ad placidas . . . aquas Bae. 15. aerio Z aetherias Bae. 16.
arat O. 20. dicta O 2 . 23. possum & possim AV.
12 TIBULLUS, I. 7., 31-50-
Primus inexpertae commisit semina terrae
Pomaque non notis legit ab arboribus.
Hie docuit teneram palis adiungere vitem,
Hie viridem dura caedere falce comam;
Illi iucundos primum matura sapores 35
Expressa incultis uva dedit pedibus ;
Ille liquor docuit voces inflectere cantu,
Movit et ad certos nescia membra modos.
Bacchus et agricolae magno confecta labore
Pectora tristitiae dissoluenda dedit : 40
Bacchus et afflictis requiem mortalibus affert,
Crura licet dura compede pulsa sonent.
43 48. Not care and grief are thine, Osiris, but chaunt and
dance and love, but flowers and flowing robes, soft flute
and sacred chest.
Non tibi sunt tristes curae nee luctus, Osiri,
Sed chorus et cantus et levis aptus amor;
Sed varii flores et frons redimita corymbis, 45
Fusa sed ad teneros lutea palla pedes;
Et Tyriae vestes et dulcis tibia cantu,
Et levis occultis conscia cista sacris.
49 54. Hither then to honour the Genius of the day with
sport and dance, with perfumt and with chaplet ! so will
I pay thee thy due.
Hue ades et Genium ludo centumque choreis
Concelebra et multo tempora funde mero : 50
35. iocundos Fris. 42. compede Q cuspide AVZ. 4?.
et O set Bae. dulcis AV dulci Q-. 49. I have ventured on
genium ludo centumque centum ludos geniumque O centum
ludis Z genium ludo Heyne.
TIBULLUS, I. 7., 51-64. 10., 1-2. 13
Illius et nitido stillent unguenta capillo,
Et capite et collo mollia serta gerat.
Sic venias hodierne : tibi dem turis honores,
Liba et Mopsopio dulcia melle feram.
5564. Long live thy race, Mcssalla: long may men tell of thy
work, as they pass along the Latin way ; and oft may
this day, ever brighter and more bright, return.
At tibi succrescat proles, quae facta parentis 55
Augeat et circa stet veneranda senem.
Nee taceat monumenta viae, quem Tuscula
tellus
Candidaque antique detinet Alba Lare.
Namque opibus congesta tuis hie glarea dura
Sternitur, hie apta iungitur arte silex. 60
Te canit agricola, e magna cum venerit urbe
Serus, inoffensum rettuleritque pedem.
At tu, Natalis, multos celebrande per annos,
Candidior semper candidiorque veni.
I. 10.
1 1O. Who was it that first forged the sword, and brought
battle and slaughter upon earth ? There were no wars
on earth, no towers or ramparts, till men lusted after
gold : O had those days been mine !
Quis fuit, horrendos primus qui protulit enses?
Quam ferus et vere ferreus ille fuit !
51. et O e Z. 54. Liba AV Libem G Libaque Z melle GZ
mella AV. 56. veneranda O vencrata Z venerande Muel.
57. nee GV ne A quem Z quc A quae GV 58. Candidaque
AV Candida quae G Candida quem Bioukh, Bae. 61. e Z,
om. by O.
14 TIBULLUS, I. 10., 3-26.
Turn caedes hominum generi, turn praelia nata,
Turn brevier dirae mortis aperta via est.
An nihil ille miser meruit, nos ad mala nostra 5
Vertimus, in saevas quod dedit ille feras?
Divitis hoc vitium est auri, nee bella fuerunt,
Faginus astabat cum scyphus ante dapes.
Non arces, non vallus erat, somnumque petebat
Securus varias dux gregis inter oves. 10
Tune mihi vita foret, vulgi nee tristia nossem
Arma, nee audissem corde micante tubam.
13 -28. But ncnv 1 am dragged off to war: keep me safe, ye
Lares of my fathers : ye have ever been duly honoured, and
ye shall be honoured ever.
Nunc ad bella trahor, et iam quis forsitan hostis
Haesura in nostro tela gerit latere.
Sed patrii servate Lares: aluistis et idem, 15
Cursarem vestros cum tener ante pedes.
Neu pudeat prisco vos esse e stipite factos:
Sic veteris sedes incoluistis avi.
Tune melius tenuere fidem, cum paupere cultu
Stabat in exigua ligneus aede deus. 20
Hie placatus erat, seu quis libaverat uvam,
Seu dederat sanctae spicea serta comae :
Atque aliquis voti compos liba ipse ferebat
Postque comes purum filia parva favum.
At nobis aerata, Lares, depellite tela, 25
Hostiaque e plena rustica porcus hara.
I. 10. 5. An AV at G forsan et ille nihil meruit Par. 8.
Kptabat Par. For dapes Par ha> merum. 10. saturas Heins.
vacuas Broukh sparsas Z. 11. vulgi O dulcis Heins. Z. 12.
tremente V. 18. veteris Z veteres O. 23. ipse Z ipsa O. 26.
Hostiaque e O Hostia de G a Hostia erit Z mystica G rustica AVG a .
T1BULLUS, I. 10., 27-44. 15
Hanc pura cum veste sequar myrtoque canistra
Vincta geram, myrto vinctus et ipse caput.
29 34. Not for me to boast of arms and victories : what mad-
ness is it to quicken the stealthy foot of Death !
Sic placeam vobis : alius sit fortis in armis,
Sternat et adversos Marte favente duces, 30
Ut mihi potanti possit sua dicere facta
Miles, et in mensa pingere castra mero.
Quis furor est atram bellis arcessere mortem ?
Imminet et tacito clam venit ilia pede.
35 42. For below there is no corn, no wine, no calm old age,
with family and flocks around, but only Styx, and Cer-
berus, and pallid grief-worn shades.
Non seges est infra, non vinea culta, sed audax 35
Cerberus et Stygiae navita turpis aquae :
Illic perscissisque genis ustoque capillo
Errat ad obscuros pallida turba lacus.
Quam potius laudandus hie est, quem prole parata
Occupat in parva pigra senecta casa ! 40
Ipse suas sectatur oves, at filius agnos,
Et calidam fesso comparat uxor aquam.
43 68. Then be it mine to live till age ; to see arms lie rusted,
and ploughshares busy ; and to behold field, and vine, and
countryman made glad by the fair face of Peace.
Sic -ego sim, liceatque caput candescere canis,
Temporis et prisci facta referre senem.
30. adversos G-V - adverse AV. 33. arcessere Or Par. V 2
accersere AV. 36. turpis Z puppis O Par. 37. perscissis
Par. percussis O perculsis Z exesis Heins. 39. Quatn G- Par.
Quin AV 41. at A Par. ac Z ufV aut GK
16 TIBULLUS, I. 10., 45-68.
Interea Pax arva colat: Pax Candida primum 45
Duxit araturos sub iuga panda boves ;
Pax aluit vites et sucos condidit uvae,
Funderet ut nato testa paterna merum ;
Pace bidens vomerque nitent, at tristia duri
Militis in tenebris occupat arma situs ; 50
Rusticus e lucoque vehit, male sobrius ipse,
Uxorem plaustro progeniemque domum.
At nobis, Pax alma, veni spicamque teneto, 67
Perfluat et pomis candidus ante sinus.
46. panda G Par. curva AV. 49. bidens G Par. V 2 nitens
AV vomerque vigent G vomerque nitet sed Par. vomer viderit
AV nitent conj. by Guy. 51. ipse Z ipso O. 68. Per-
fluat Z Prefluat AV Profluat G Perpluat Heins.
TIBULLUS, II. i.
1 12. Silence, all, "while we purify our fields and flocks !
Hither come, we fray, Bacchus and Ceres ; now rest man
and beast ; crowned be every head, and pure be every hand.
QUISQUIS adest, faveat : fruges lustramus et agros,
Ritus ut a prisco traditus exstat avo.
Bacche, veni, dulcisque tuis e cornibus uva
Pendeat, et spicis tempora cinge, Ceres.
Luce sacra requiescat humus, requiescat arator, 5
Et grave suspense vomere cesset opus.
Solvite vincla iugis : nunc ad praesepia debent
Plena coronato stare boves capite.
Omnia sint operata deo : non audeat ulla
Lanificam pensis imposuisse manum. 10
Casta placent superis : pura cum veste venite 1 3
Et manibus puris sumite fontis aquam.
15 24. O gods of our fathers ! as ye see the holy lamb pass on
to the altar, drive ill away ! Bring fatness to field and
fold, bring store and joy into our homes.
Cernite, fulgentes ut eat sacer agnus ad aras 15
Vinctaque post olea Candida turba comas.
Di patrii, purgamus agros, purgamus agrestes:
Vos mala de nostris pellite limitibus.
II. 1. 1. faveat Seal. valeat O ades faveas Dousa, Heyne.
8. vertice stare boves Par. 9. sint GV 2 mnt AV Par. 13.
mente Par. 15. ignis Or. 17. Di G Dii AV. 18. tol-
lite G.
4,
1 8 TIBULLUS, II. i., 19-39.
Neu seges eludat messem fallacibus herbis,
Neu timeat celeres tardior agna lupos. 20
Tune nitidus plenis confisus rusticus agris
Ingeret ardenti grandia ligna foco,
Turbaque vernarum, saturi bona signa coloni,
Ludet et ex virgis exstruet ante casas.
25 32. See ye, the signs are good? Forth then with the Chian
and Falernian ! let all be merry, and drink with every
cup to our Messalla.
Eventura precor: viden ut felicibus extis 25
Signified placidos nuntia fibra decs?
Nunc mihi fumosos veteris proferte Falernos
Consulis, et Chio solvite vincla cado.
Vina diem celebrent : non festa luce madere
Est rubor, errantes et male ferre pedes. 30
Sed ' bene Messallam ' sua quisque ad pocula dicat,
Nomen et absentis singula verba sonent.
33 BO. Come hither, thou conqueror of Aquitania,and help me
while I sing of the country, and the country's gods : how
they have gifted us with corn, and house, and wine, with
fruit and garden, with harvest, wine, and honey.
Gentis Aquitanae celeber Messalla triumphis
Et magna intonsis gloria victor avis,
Hue ades aspiraque mihi, dum carmine nostro 35
Redditur agricolis gratia caelitibus.
Rura cano rurisque deos. His vita magistris
Desuevit querna pellere glande famem :
Illi compositis primum docuere tigillis
22. Ingeret K Ingerat OV. 24. arte Q?Z. 29. celebrent
AVG J celebrant G Par. 34. avi s Z Seal. ades O. 38.
glande GV grande A V s .
TIBULLUS, II. I., 40-60. 19
Exiguam viridi fronde operire domum : 40
Illi etiam tauros primi docuisse feruntur
Servitium, et plaustro supposuisse rotam.
Turn victus abiere feri, turn consita pomus,
Turn bibit irriguas fertilis hortus aquas,
Aurea turn presses pedibus dedit uva liquores, 45
Mixtaque secure est sobria lympha mero.
Rura ferunt messes, calidi cum sideris aestu
Deponit flavas annua terra comas.
Rure levis verno flores apis ingerit alveo,
Compleat ut dulci sedula melle favos. 50
5158. Thus blessed, the husbandman first beat foot to song,
first tuned the pipe, and in honour ofthee, Bacchus, essayed
the rustic dance.
Agricola assiduo primum satiatus aratro
Cantavit certo rustica verba pede,
Et satur arenti primum est modulatus avena
Carmen, ut ornatos diceret ante decs;
Agricola et minio suffusus, Bacche, rubenti 55
Primus inexperta duxit ab arte chores.
Huic datus a pleno, memorabile munus, ovili
Dux pecoris curtas auxerat hircus opes.
59 66. Here gather we fiowers for our Lares ; here grows the
bright wool for maiden's task, with distaff or with loom.
Rure puer verno primum de flore coronam
Fecit, et antiquis imposuit laribus. 60
41. primi O Par. primum Z. 5. Aurea QrYzr. Antea&N.
49. ingerit G Par. ingerat AV. 50. tit O Par. et AV 1 .
54. diceret GV 2 duceret AV 1 . 58. Probably corrupt, hauxerat
A hauserat GV duxerat G Q hirtas duxerat hircus oves Heyne
curtas auxerat hircus opes Waardenburg, Muel. Hil.
C 2
20 TIBULLUS, II. l., 61-90.
Rure etiam teneris curam exhibitura puellis
Molle gerit tergo lucida vellus ovis.
Hinc et femineus labor est, hinc pensa colusque,
Fusus et apposito pollice versat opus :
Atque aliqua assidue textrix operata Minervae 65
Cantat, et applauso tela sonat latere.
07 86. Here Love -was born : here first he held the bow, here
first pierced young and old. Come thou too to our feast, but
come unarmed : so shall all breathe their vows to thee.
Ipse interque greges interque armenta Cupido
Natus et indomitas dicitur inter equas.
Illic indocto primum se exercuit arcu :
Ei mihi, quam doctas nunc habet ille manus ! 70
Nee pecudes, velut ante, petit: fixisse puellas
Gestit, et audaces perdomuisse viros.
Hie iuveni detraxit opes, hie dicere iussit
Limen ad iratae verba pudenda senem :
Hoc duce custodes furtim transgressa iacentes 75
Ad iuvenem tenebris sola puella venit,
Et pedibus praetemptat iter suspensa timore,
Explorat caecas cui manus ante vias.
A miseri, quos hie graviter deus urget! at ille
Felix, cui placidus leniter adflat Amor. 80
Sancte, veni dapibus festis, sed pone sagittas
Et procul ardentes hinc precor abde faces.
65. assidue . . . Minervam O assiduae . . . Minervae Z textrix O
textis Z. 66. applauso Z appulso O. 67. Ipse interque greges
G Ipse quoque inter agros A Ipse quoque inter greges V Ipse
agros interque g reges V '* quoque inter apros Klotz. 70. Hei
GV. 12. atroces conj. Bae. 73. opes G 2 Z opus O. 78.
cui O dum conj. Heyne.
TIBULLUS, II. 5., i-io. 21
Vos celebrem cantate deum pecorique vocate
Voce : palam pecori, clam sibi quisque vocet.
Aut etiam sibi quisque palam : nam turba iocosa 85
Obstrepit, et Phrygio tibia curva sono.
87 9O. Then sport your Jill: Night comes with her starry
train : soon Sleep and Dreams will follow.
Ludite : iam Nox iungit equos, currumque sequuntur
Matris lascivo sidera fulva chore,
Postque venit tacitus furvis circumdatus alis
Somnus, et incerto somnia nigra pede. 90
II.5.
1 1O. Hither, Phoebus, with thy lyre! thou hast a new
priest to-day. Hither, radiant God, with laurel on thy
broiv, and in thy festal robe !
Phoebe, fave : novus ingreditur tua templa
sacerdos :
Hue age cum cithara carminibusque veni.
Nunc te vocales impellere pollice chordas,
Nunc precor ad laudes flectere verba meas.
Ipse triumphali devinctus tempora lauro, 5
Dum cumulant aras, ad tua sacra veni.
Sed nitidus pulcherque veni : nunc indue vestem
Sepositam, longas nunc bene pecte comas,
Quatem te memorant Saturno rege fugato
Victori laudes concjnuisse lovi. 10
88. choro G-V thoro A.N 1 . 89. furvis G- fulvis AV Par.
fuscis Z Heyne. 90. nigra O Par. vana Z pigra Heyne.
II. 5. 3. me Bae. 4. meas O tttas Z mea Lach. tua Wis-
ser. 7. Sed O Et Bae. 9. Qualem O Quali Bae.
22 TIBULLUS, II. 5., 11-28.
11 18. All prophecy is thine, through bird, through entrails,
and through lot : grant thou to Messalinus to touch the
sacred Sibyfs leaves, and truly to unfold her song.
Tu procul eventura vides, tibi deditus augur
Scit bene quid fati provida cantet avis;
Tuque regis sortes, per te praesentit aruspex,
Lubrica signavit cum deus exta notis.
Te duce Romanes numquam frustrata Sibylla, 15
Abdita quae senis fata canit pedibus.
Phoebe, sacras Messalinum sine tangere chartas
Vatis, et ipse precor quid canat ilia doce.
19 38. She it was that gave lots to Aeneas when he yet turned
his eyes to Ilium, and Romulus had Imilt no wall ; when
herds strayed over the Palatium, and the shepherd hung
his rude gift to Pan or Pales under the tree ; when maidens
ferried over the Velabrurn to meet their lovers.
Haec dedit Aeneae sortes, postquam ille parentem
Dicitur et raptos sustinuisse lares: 20
Nee fore credebat Romam, cum maestus ab alto
Ilion ardentes respiceretque deos.
Romulus aeternae nondum formaverat urbis
Moenia, consorti non habitanda Remo,
Sed tune pascebant herbosa Palatia vaccae, 25
Et stabant humiles in lovis arce casae.
Lacte madens illic suberat Pan ilicis umbrae,
Et facta agresti lignea falce Pales;
11. debitus O deditus Z. 1?. chartas GV 2 car/as AV 1 . 18.
quidZ quos O quod Z canit O canat AV. 19. Bae. thinks
19-22 spurious. Bubendey Quaest. p. 28 thinks the same of 21-38-
20. raptos Z captos O. 22. Bae. suspects domos is the true
reading for deos. 23. formaverat O firmaverat Z.
TIBULLUS, II. 5., 29-50. 23
Pendebatque vagi pastoris in arbore votum,
Garrula silvestri fistula sacra deo, 30
Fistula, cui semper decrescit arundinis ordo:
Nam calamus cera iungitur usque minor.
At qua Velabri regie patet, ire solebat
Exiguus pulsa per vada linter aqua.
Ilia saepe gregis diti placitura magistro 35
Ad iuvenem festa est vecta puella die,
Cum qua fecundi redierunt munera ruris,
Caseus et niveae candidus agnus ovis.
39 54. She sang to him of Laurentum and the Numicius ; how
the camp of the Rutulian would burn, how Lavinium and
Alba Longa grow ; how Ilia would be loved by Mars.
' Impiger Aenea, volitantis frater Amoris,
Troica qui profugis sacra vehis ratibus, 40
lam tibi Laurentes assignat luppiter agros,
lam vocat errantes hospita terra Lares.
Illic sanctus eris, cum te veneranda Numici
Unda deum caelo miserit Indigetem.
Ecce super fessas volitat Victoria puppes, 45
Tandem ad Troianos diva superba venit.
Ecce mihi lucent Rutulis incendia castris :
lam tibi praedico, barbare Turne, necem.
Ante oculos Laurens castrum, murusque Lavini est,
Albaque ab Ascanio condita longa duce. 50
32. namA-V et Or Bae. dum Heyne. 34. pulla O pulsa Z.
35. illaque AV diti Z ditis A. 38. After 1. 38 a new elegy
commences in O. Perhaps a couplet has dropped out. 43. vene-
rande Mueller. 49. castrum Z castris O.
24 TIBULLUS, II. 5., 51-68.
Te quoque iam video, Marti placitura sacerdos
Ilia, Vestales deseruisse focos,
Concubitusque tuos furtim, vittasque iacentes,
Et cupidi ad ripas arma relicta dei.
55 64. ' Feed on, ye bulls J she said, ' while ye may j here Rome
shall stand, and rule from East to West : once more shall
Troy be great, and glory in your wanderings?
Carpite nunc, tauri, de septem montibus herbas, 55
Dum licet: hie magnae iam locus urbis erit.
Roma, tuum nomen terris fatale regendis,
Qua sua de caelo prospicit arva Ceres,
Quaque patent ortus et qua fluitantibus undis
Solis anhelantes abluit amnis equos. 60
Troia quidem tune se mirabitur, et sibi dicet
Vos bene tarn longa consuluisse via.
Vera cano : sic usque sacras innoxia laurus
Vescar, et aeternum sit mihi virginitas.'
65 8O. So sang she, and called on thee, Phoebus: blot out, we
pray thee, all omens dire of comet or of stone-shower, of
embattled sky or speaking grove, of failing sun or cloud-
wrapped year, of voiced ox or weeping God.
Haec cecinit vates et te sibi, Phoebe, vocavit, 65
lactavit fusas et caput ante comas.
Quidquid Amalthea, quidquid Marpesia dixit
Herophile, Phyto Graiaque quod monuit,
53. vittasque Z victasque O. 62. longa . . . via Z Seal.
longam . . . viam O. 63. lauros Q-. 64. Vescar ZV 2 Noscar
A Noscat QV-. 65-80 Bae. holds to be spurious, interpolated
in consequence of there having been a gap after 1. 64. 67- Quid
quod A. 68. Eryphile O Hcriphile AV. Phoeto Grata
TIBULLUS, II. 5., 69-88. 25
Quasque Aniena sacras Tiburs per flumina sortes
Portarit sicco pertuleritque sinu : 70
Hae fore dixerunt belli mala signa cometen,
Multus ut in terras deplueretque lapis:
Atque tubas atque arma ferunt strepitantia caelo
Audita, et lucos praecinuisse fugam :
Ipsum etiam Solem defectum lumine vidit 75
lungere pallentes nubilus annus equos,
Et simulacra deum lacrimas fudisse tepentes
Fataque vocales praemonuisse boves.
Haec fuerant olim : sed tu iam mitis, Apollo,
Prodigia indomitis merge sub aequoribus. 80
81 94. Now let the laurel crackle, let field and cask be full: the
glad shepherd shall leap over the straw, young and old
shall make merry together.
Et succensa sacris crepitet bene laurea flammis,
Omine quo felix et sacer annus erit.
Laurus ubi bona signa dedit, gaudete coloni :
Distendet spicis horrea plena Ceres,
Oblitus et musto feriet pede rusticus uvas, 8j
Dolia dum magni deficiantque lacus.
Ac madidus Baccho sua festa Palilia pastor
Concinet: a stabulis tune procul este lupi.
Lach. Phoebo grata O Phyto grata Huschke que quod mo-
nuit Z quodadmonuit O. Rossbach puts a comma after dixit,
and reads Phoebo grata. 69. QuasqueZ Quodque AV Aniena
Z AlbanaV Albuna ?><x\. Tiburf Z Tiber is Q. 70. per-
tuleritque Z perlueritque O. 71. Hec AV Hae Z. Notice
haec in 11. 65, 79. 72. ut G 2 Z *tfO deplueretque Z de-
plueritque AG depuleritque V. 81. V GV 2 // AV. 83.
The words gaudete coloni may be taken parenthetically. 87- Ac
26 TIBULLUS, II. 5., 89-122.
Ille levis stipulae sollemnes potus acervos
Accendet, flammas transilietque sacras. 90
Et fetus matrona dabit, natusque parenti
Oscula comprensis auribus eripiet,
Nee taedebit avum parvo advigilare nepoti,
Balbaque cum puero dicere verba senem.
95 1O4. The youth shall build leafy bowers, and hold banquet
on the sod: if cups bring angry words to any, he will wish
them unsaid when sober.
Tune operata deo pubes discumbet in herba, 95
Arboris antiquae qua levis umbra cadit,
Aut e veste sua tendent umbracula sertis
Vincta, coronatus stabit et ante calix.
At sibi quisque dapes et festas exstruet alte
Caespitibus mensas caespitibusque torum. 100
Ingeret hie potus iuvenis maledicta puellae,
Postmodo quae votis irrita facta velit:
Nam ferus ille suae plorabit sobrius idem,
Et se iurabit mente fuisse mala.
105 112. But perish thou, Love, with thy evil ways ! what
mischief hast thou wrought ! most of all to me, who lie
love-sick for my Nemesis, and love so to lie.
Pace tua pereant arcus pereantque sagittae, 105
Phoebe, modo in terns erret inermis Amor.
Ars bona : sed postquam sumpsit sibi tela Cupido,
Heu heu quam multis ars dedit ista malum !
92. comprensis OZ compressis AV. 95. operata Or operta A.
98. ante Z ipse O. 99. extruet Q 2 extruat O. 100. thorum
AV. 103. Nam AV lam O Bae.
TIBULLUS, II. 6., 1-3. 27
Et mihi praecipue. laceo cum saucius annum,
Et faveo morbo, cum iuvat ipse dolor, no
Usque cano Nemesim, sine qua versus mihi nullus
Verba potest iustos aut reperire pedes.
113 122. But spare, maiden, spare the holy bard, that he may
sing of Messalinus, and swell the glory of his triumph.
Phoebus, hear my prayer !
At tu, nam divum servat tutela poetas,
Praemoneo, vati parce, puella, sacro,
Ut Messalinum celebrem, cum praemia belli 115
Ante suos currus oppida victa feret,
Ipse gerens lauros : lauro devinctus agresti
Miles 'io' magna voce 'triumphe' canet.
Tune Messalla meus pia det spectacula turbae,
Et plaudat curru praetereunte pater. 120
Annue : sic tibi sint intonsi, Phoebe, capilli,
Sic tua perpetuo sit tibi casta soror.
II. 6.
1 IO. Macer is going off to war: will Love go with him? or
brand him a traitor to his cause ? Then I too will go to the
camp with him : farewell to my maiden and my Love !
Castra Macer sequitur : tenero quid fiet Amori ?
Sit comes et collo fortiter arma gerat ?
Et seu longa virum terrae via seu vaga ducent
109. iaceo Z taceo A. 110. cum O tarn Z quod, nam,
quin have been suggested. Older edd. place a comma after prae-
cipue. 112. reperire A reperisse GV. 116. feret G ferent
AV. 117. lauros G.
II. 6. 3. terre AV ferret GV 2 .
28 TIBULLUS, II. 6., 4-22.
Aequora, cum telis ad latus ire volet ?
Ure, puer, quaeso, tua qui ferus otia liquit,
Atque iterum erronem sub tua signa voca.
Quod si militibus parces, erit hie quoque miles,
Ipse levem galea qui sibi portet aquam.
Castra peto, valeatque Venus valeantque puellae :
Et mihi sunt vires, et mihi facta tuba est. ]
11 18. How brave my words! but how feeble is my foot!
Ah, cruel Love, would that thy shafts were broken, and
thy torch put out !
Magna loquor, sed magnifice mihi magna locuto
Excutiunt clausae fortia verba fores,
luravi quotiens rediturum ad limina numquam !
Cum bene iuravi, pes tamen ipse redit.
Acer Amor, fractas utinam tua tela sagittas, 15
Si licet, extinctas aspiciamque faces!
Tu miserum torques, tu me mihi dira precari
Cogis, et insana mente nefanda loqui.
19 28. I should have perished, but Hope bids me live: Hope,
that brings solace to the husbandman, to the fowler, to the
slave, still promises to me my Nemesis.
lam mala finissem leto, sed credula vitam
Spes fovet, et fore eras semper ait melius.
Spes alit agricolas, Spes sulcis credit aratis
Semina, quae magno fenore reddat ager :
8. levem AV levi Q Bae. portet AG par tat VG 2 . 16.
Si licet Z Scilicet O. 20. So O et melius eras fore semper
ait Par.
TIBULLUS, II. 6., 23-42. 29
Haec laqueo volucres, haec captat arundine
pisces,
Cum tenues hamos abdidit ante cibus :
Spes etiam valida solatur compede vinctum : 25
Crura sonant ferro, sed canit inter opus.
Spes facilem Nemesim spondet mihi, sed negat ilia
Ei mihi, ne vincas, dura puella, deam.
29 42. Ah spare me, Nemesis! By thy dear sister 'dead,
whose grave I tend, who pleads my cause, and who standing
over thee, all blood-stained as she fell, will break thy sleep :
be hard to me no more. Enough : not mine to bring tear
into thine eye.
Parce, per immatura tuae precor ossa sororis :
Sic bene sub tenera parva quiescat humo. 30
Ilia mihi sancta est, illius dona sepulcro
Et madefacta meis serta feram lacrimis,
Illius ad tumulum fugiam, supplexque sedebo,
Et mea cum muto fata querar cinere.
Non feret usque suum te propter flere clientem : 35
Illius ut verbis, sis mihi lenta veto,
Ne tibi neglecti mittant mala somnia Manes,
Maestaque sopitae stet soror ante torum,
Qualis ab excelsa praeceps delapsa fenestra
Venit ad infernos sanguinolenta lacus. 40
Desino, ne dominae luctus renoventur acerbi :
Non ego sum tanti, ploret ut ilia semel.
23, 24. Heyne and Fischer (Quaest. Prop.^ think these lines
spurious. 28. Hei O. 32. feram GV 2 ferant AV 1 .
38. thorum AV.
TIBULLUS, III. 3.
1 1O. What boots it, Neaera, that I have filled heaven with
my prayers ? not for marble house or rich estate, but to
share all joys with thee, and live happy in thy love till
death.
QUID prodest caelum votis implesse, Neaera,
Blandaque cum multa tura dedisse prece,
Xon ut marmorei prodirem e limine tecti,
Insignis clara conspicuusque domo.
Aut ut multa mei renovarent iugera tauri, 5
Et magnas messes terra benigna daret,
Sed tecum ut longae sociarem gaudia vitae
Inque tuo caderet nostra senecta sinu,
Turn cum permenso deftmctus tempore lucis
Nudus Lethaea cogerer ire rate? 10
11 24. What to- me were gold or pearl or marble, what grove
or gilded roof? With thee, Neaera, poverty were sweet :
no kingly wealth can please without thee.
Nam grave quid prodest pondus mihi divitis
auri,
Arvaque si findant pinguia mille boves ?
Quidve domus prodest Phrygiis innixa columnis,
Taenare sive tuis, sive Caryste tuis,
Et nemora in domibus sacros imitantia lucos, 15
Aurataeque trabes marmoreumque solum?
III. 3. 2. Multaque cum blanda Bergk. 7- sociare G so-
ciarent AV. 9. permenso O praemensae ZH permensae
Huschke. 11. quid prodesse potest pondus grave Par.
TIBULLUS, III. 3., 1-38. 31
Quidve in Erythraeo legitur quae litore concha
Tinctaque Sidonio murice lana iuvat,
Et quae praeterea populus miratur? in illis
Invidia est : falso plurima vulgus amat. 20
Non opibus mentes hominum curaeque levantur :
Nam Fortuna sua tempora lege regit.
Sit mihi paupertas tecum iucunda, Neaera :
At sine te regum munera nulla volo.
25 38. thrice bright and happy the day that should give me
back my wife, in my poor but peaceful home ! But if the
Fates say nay, then may Orcus call me to his dark and
dismal streams.
O niveam, quae te poterit mihi reddere, lucem ! 2 5
O mihi felicem terque quaterque diem!
At si, pro dulci reditu quaecumque voventur,
Audiat aversa non meus aure deus,
Non me regna iuvant nee Lydius aurifer amnis
Nee quas terrarum sustinet orbis opes. 30
Haec alii cupiant, liceat mihi paupere cultu
Secure cara coniuge posse frui.
Adsis et timidis faveas, Saturnia, votis,
Et faveas concha, Cypria, vecta tua.
Aut si fata negant reditum tristesque sorores, 35
Stamina quae ducunt quaeque futura neunt,
Me vocet in vastos amnes nigramque paludem.
Dives in ignava luridus Orcus aqua.
20. Invidia est G Par. Invida quae AV. 22. regit G Par.
gerit AV Fris. 28. adversa O aversa V s Z. 29. Non G Par.
Nee AV iuvant A V Par. iiivent G. 32. Securo vitae munere
Par. 33. Assis O. 36. canunt Heyne regunt Dis. 38.
Dives in O Ditis et Z Bae. Ditis ab Mueller.
32 TIBULLUS, III. 5., 1-16.
HI. 5-
1 6. While ye, my friends, are at the waters of Etruria, I
am ill and like to die.
Vos tenet, Etruscis manat quae fontibus unda,
Unda sub aestivum non adeunda canem,
Nunc autem sacris Baiarum proxima lymphis,
Cum se purpureo vere remittit humus :
At mihi Persephone nigram denuntiat horam : 5
Immerito iuveni parce nocere, dea.
7 2O. Yet have I done no ill, no crime or sacrilege : I have
lodged no evil thought, spoken no evil word: why should
I be cut off so young ?
Non ego temptavi nulli temeranda virorum
Audax laudandae sacra docere deae;
Nee mea mortiferis infecit pocula sucis,
Dextera nee cuiquam trita venena dedit; 10
Nee nos sacrileges templis admovimus ignes,
Nee cor sollicitant facta nefanda meum;
Nee nos insanae meditantes iurgia mentis
Impia in adversos solvimus ora deos;
Et nondum cani nigros laesere capillos, 15
Nee venit tardo curva senecta pede.
III. 5. 1. Vos G 2 Nos AG. 3. proxima Sciopp. maxima O
Plant. 7- virorum Z deorum O Plant. 10. trita F certa
O Plant, tetra G 3 . 11. sacrileges G Plant, sacrilegis AV
sacrilegi Z admovimus ignes G" Plant amovimus egros A.
Sgros GV. 12. facta O Par. Plant, furta Bae. 13. meditantes
G Plant, meditantis AV.
TIBULLUS, III. 5., 17-34. 33
[Natalem prime nostrum videre parentes,
Cum cecidit fato consul uterque pari.]
Quid fraudare iuvat vitem crescentibus uvis,
Et modo nata mala vellere poma manu? 20
21 34. Oh! spare me, gods of the world below: grant to me
to reach old age. Live happily, my friends, and forget not
to do sacrifice for me.
Parcite, pallentes undas quicumque tenetis,
Duraque sortiti tertia regna dei.
Elysios olim liceat cognoscere campos,
Lethaeamque ratem Cimmeriosque lacus,
Cum mea rugosa pallebunt ora senecta, 25
Et referam pueris tempora prisca senex.
Atque utinam vano nequiquam terrear aestu!
Languent ter quinos sed mea membra dies.
At vobis Tuscae celebrantur numina lymphae,
Et facilis lenta pellitur unda manu. 30
Vivite felices, memores et vivite nostri,
Sive erimus, seu nos fata fuisse velint.
Interea nigras pecudes promittite Diti,
Et nivei lactis pocula mixta mero.
21. undas O Plant, umbras Z. 29. At vobis GV 2 Atque
nobis AV 1 . 31. < Perhaps sed (set}.' Palmer. 32. volent Z.
PROPERTIUS, I. 8.
What ? art thou indeed ready to give thine heart to
another? and to brave for his sake the perils of the deep,
and the frosts of Dalmatia ?
' TUNE igitur demens, nee te mea cura moratur ?
An tibi sum gelida vilior Illyria,
Et tibi iam tanti, quicumque est, iste videtur,
Ut sine me vento quolibet ire velis?
Tune audire potes vesani murmura ponti? 5
Fortis et in dura nave iacere potes?
Tu pedibus teneris positas fulcire pruinas,
Tu potes insolitas, Cynthia, ferre nives ?
9 16. Long last the wintry storms ! May no ill breeze arise
to waft thee from these shores I
O utinam hibernae duplicentur tempora brumae,
Et sit iners tardis navita Vergiliis ! 10
Nee tibi Tyrrhena solvatur funis arena,
Neve inimica meas elevet aura preces !
Atque ego non videam tales subsidere ventos,
Cum tibi provectas auferet unda rates,
6. mane AF. 7. fulcire NO Per. Hertz. sulcare old edd.,
Palmer, who however suggests nunc ire pruinas : cf. 2. 30. 19. Other
conj. are calcare, super ire, superare pruinas DV ruinas NAF.
11. harena N ab ora conj. Burmann. 13. So NO AutZ Huschke
non NO iam Bae. F has subdire : Graevius conj. tali sub sidere.
PROPERTIUS, I. 8., 1-28. 35
Et me defixum vacua patiatur in ora 15
Crudelem infesta saepe vocare manul
17 26. Yet may Galatea prosper thy voyage; where'er thou
mayest be, my heart is thine, and I shall ever holdthee mine.
Sed quocumque modo de me, periura, mereris,
Sit Galatea tuae non aliena viae;
Utere felici praevecta Ceraunia remo ;
Accipiat placidis Oricos aequoribus. 20
Nam me non ullae poterunt corrumpere taedae,
Quin ego, vita, tuo limine verba querar;
Nee me deficiet nautas rogitare citatos
' Dicite, quo portu clausa puella mea est?'
Et dicam : ' licet Atraciis considat in oris, 25
Et licet Hylaeis, ilia futura mea est.'
27 ZZ.Joy! Joy! I have conquered ! She hears my prayer
and consents to stay !
Hie erit ! hie iurata manet ! rumpantur iniqui !
Vicimus ! assiduas non tulit ilia pieces !
15. patiatur NO patietur old edd. Hertz. Bae. Palmer patiaris
Beroaldus patienter Lach. inhoraAJF arena DV. 17. quodcunque
NA. 19. Ut te NAF Hertz. Utere D and prob. V too, Bae. Palmer
Vites felici praevecta Lach. Ut te felici post lecta Mueller provecta
DV pracvectamfelice Guy, H. A. J. Munro. 21. de te NO Per. Bae.
taedae Z old edd. 22. Quin ego vita NF 2 V Quin ego tuta AFD
Quin ego fida Lach. Quin arguta conj. Bae. The MSS. have verba.
Palmer and Mueller adopt the conj. vera, for which P. quotes 3. 6.
35 and Cat. 66. 18. 22. famine O Per. 23. deficiat AF.
25. The reading in this couplet is very uncertain. N Per. Lach.
have licet atraciis, A licet a traciis, D a thraciis licet haec. Hertz,
and others Autaricis, Mueller Autariis, Palmer Artaciis, com-
paring Apoll. Rhod. Arg. I. 054 Kprjvri vir' 'Apra/ctri and Arg. Orph.
496. 26. Hyleis AF Hylleis Muretus hileis N ellaeis DV
Sleit Z Hertz. Palmer now prefers Hylaeis : see notes. 27. erit
DV Hertz, erat NAF Palmer, who translates ' She was here all the
while, and here she remains.' But that sense spoils the passage.
D 2
36 PROPERTIUS, I. 8., 29-46.
Falsa licet cupidus deponat gaudia livor :
Destitit ire novas Cynthia nostra vias. 30
Illi cams ego et per me carissima Roma
Dicitur, et sine me dulcia regna negat.
39 46. It is not gold nor pearls that have won for me her love ;
it is my gift of song.
Hanc ego non auro, non Indis flectere conchis,
Sed potui blandi carminis obsequio. 40
Sunt igitur Musae, neque amanti tardus Apollo,
Quis ego fretus amo : Cynthia rara mea est.
Nunc mihi summa licet contingere sidera plantis :
Sive dies seu nox venerit, ilia mea est.
Nee mihi rivalis certos subducet amores : 45
Ista meam norit gloria canitiem.
1 8. Though all luxury be thine, Tullus, as thou gazest on
wood and river, no wealth may equal the riches of my love.
Tu licet abiectus Tiberina molliter unda
Lesbia Mentoreo vina bibas opere,
Et modo tarn celeres mireris currere lintres,
Et modo tam tardas funibus ire rates,
Et nemus omne satas intendat vertice silvas,
Urgetur quantis Caucasus arboribus :
Non tamen ista meo valeant contendere amori:
Nescit Amor magnis cedere divitiis.
42. amo NO Bae. conj. ovo. 45. certos NF"V summos AF
somnus D snbdzicet F" subdncit N.
4. tam AF jinibus AF. 5. omne NO unde Lach. 6.
quantus DV.
PROPERTIUS, I. 14., 1-16, 17., 1-2. 37
9 16. When she is by, all gold, all gems, are mine: no -wealth
is wealth without her.
Nam sive optatam mecum trahit ilia quietem,
Seu facili totum ducit amore diem, 10
Turn mihi Pactoli veniunt sub tecta liquores,
Et legitur rubris gemma sub aequoribus :
Turn mihi cessuros spondent mea gaudia reges;
Quae maneant, dum me fata perire volent.
Nam quis divitiis adverse gaudet Amore? 15
Nulla mihi tristi praemia sint Venere !
17 24. Love tames the stout heart, Love climbs upon the purple
couch : if Love smile true on me, I can despise Alcinous.
Ilia potest magnas heroum infringere vires,
Ilia etiam duris mentibus esse dolor:
Ilia neque Arabium metuit transcendere limen,
Nee timet ostrino, Tulle, subire toro, 20
Et miserum toto iuvenem versare cubili :
Quid relevant variis serica textilibus ?
Quae mihi dum placata aderit, non ulla verebor
Regna vel Alcinoi munera despicere.
I. 17.
Ah! truly I deserved to die deserted on this lonely
shore, amid the chiding of the wind, since I could leave my
Cynthia.
Et merito, quoniam potui fugisse puellam,
Nunc ego desertas alloquor alcyonas 1
11. vatia*tJLf*. 13. sua gaudia Burmann. 19. arabtum
F (A ?) atratum Graevius auratum or aeratum Heinsius limen
om. by AF 1 . 20. thoro NAF. 22. relevant NF- relevent
O. 24. vel NO nee Z.
38 PROPERTIUS, I. 17., 3-28.
Nee mihi Cassiope solito visura carinam est,
Omniaque ingrato litore vota cadunt.
Quin etiam absent! prosunt tibi, Cynthia, venti : 5
Aspice, quam saevas increpat aura minas !
Nullane placatae veniet Fortuna procellae ?
Haeccine parva meum funus harena teget?
9 14. Yet spare me now, Cynthia: see not my sad fate un-
moved.
Tu tamen in melius saevas converte querelas :
Sat tibi sit poenae nox et iniqua vada. 10
An poteris siccis mea fata reponere ocellis,
Ossaque nulla tuo nostra tenere sinu?
Ah pereat, quicumque rates et vela paravit
Primus et invito gurgite fecit iter !
15 18. Were it not better to have borne with that hard heart,
than to be thus, in strange lands, alone ?
Nonne fuit levius dominae pervincere mores 15
(Quamvis dura, tamen rara puella fuit),
Quam sic ignotis circumdata litora silvis
Cernere, et optatos quaerere Tyndaridas?
19 24. Had I died there, she had honoured my remains, and
prayed over my grave.
Illic si qua meum sepelissent fata dolorem,
Ultimus et posito staret amore lapis, 20
3. casiope solito NO solitam Passerat Cassiopes statio Lach.
salvam L. Mueller Casiopest olim Bae. est is om. by NO Hertz.
Palmer reads carinamst. 4. Omnia que AD Omniaque N
Hertz, etc. Omine et Paley. 6. increpat NAFV J increpet
DV. 8. harena NDV Per. (as elsewhere) querelas NO. 11.
reponere NO Palmer opponere Z Hertz. Mueller exponere
Graevius. 13. Ha AF et bella F. 15. levius NO melius GtZ.
PROPERTIUS, I. 18., i-8. 39
Ilia meo caros donasset funere crines,
Molliter et tenera poneret ossa rosa:
Ilia meum extreme clamasset pulvere nomen,
Ut mihi non ullo pondere terra foret.
25 28. Help, ye sea daughters of Doris ! if ye too know Love,
make kind to me your shores.
At vos aequoreae formosa Doride natae, 25
Candida felici solvite vela choro :
Si quando vestras labens Amor attigit undas,
Mansuetis socio parcite litoribus.
I. 18.
14. In this silent forest, to these lonely rocks, I may pour
forth my pain.
Haec certe deserta loca et taciturna querenti,
Et vacuum Zephyri possidet aura nemus.
Hie licet occultos proferre inpune dolores,
Si modo sola queant saxa tenere fidem.
5 1O. Whence came thy pride, Cynthia ? "where began my
fault?
Unde tuos primum repetam, mea Cynthia, fastus ? 5
Quod mihi das flendi, Cynthia, principium?
Qui modo felices inter numerabar am antes,
Nunc in amore tuo cogor habere notam.
26. choro NAP noto DV. 28. choribus F pectoribus Hous.
3. impuneA.~D inpune JS and the rest. 7. numerabar inter AF.
40 PROPERTIUS, I. 18., 9-32.
Quid tantum merui? quae te mihi carmina
mutant ?
An nova tristitiae causa puella tuae ?
11 16. None other have I loved : and for all thy cruelty, never
would I give pain to thee.
Sic mihi te referas levis, ut non altera nostro
Limine formosos intulit ulla pedes.
Quamvis multa tibi dolor hie meus aspera debet,
Non ita saeva tamen venerit ira mea,
Ut tibi sim merito semper furor, et tua flendo 15
Lumina deiectis turpia sint lacrimis.
17 22. Bear witness of my love, ye trees, that tell of Cynthia's
name.
An quia parva damus mutato signa colore,
Et non ulla meo clamat in ore fides?
Vos eritis testes, si quos habet arbor amores,
Fagus et Arcadio pinus arnica deo. 20
Ah quotiens teneras resonant mea verba sub
umbras,
Scribitur et vestris Cynthia corticibus!
9. carmina NO Per. crimina Z Lipsius, Hertz. Paley, Bae.
Mueller. 12. ilia N. 16. deiectis Z deiectis NV 2 dikctis O.
17. parva O rara Burmann dura Bae. colore NO calore V*
Lach. 10. arbor NV* ardor O. 20. arnica NAF Hertz, etc.
amata DV Bae. 21. Ha AF Ah the rest teneras O
vest r as \. 21 and teneris 1. 22 Schrader, Palm, tenera has Bae.
22. vestris N edd. nostris AFV.
PROPERTIUS, I. 19., 1-7. 41
23 32. All wrong, all cruelty I have borne : yet here on cold
rocks, in rough paths, I sing, and shall ever sing, of Cywthia.
An tua quod peperit nobis iniuria curas,
Quae solum tacitis cognita sunt foribus
Omnia consuevi timidus perferre superbae 25
lussa, neque arguto fata dolore queri.
Pro quo divini fontes et frigida rupes
Et datur inculto tramite dura quies ;
Et quodcumque meae possunt narrare querelae,
Cogor ad argutas dicere solus aves. 30
Sed qualiscumque es, resonent mihi ' Cynthia '
silvae,
Nee deserta tuo nomine saxa vacent.
1 1O. I fear not death, Cynthia: I fear only to be forgotten by
thee when dead.
Non ego nunc tristes vereor, mea Cynthia, Manes,
Nee moror extreme debita fata rogo :
Sed ne forte tuo careat mihi funus amore,
Hie timor est ipsis durior exequiis.
Non adeo leviter nostris puer haesit ocellis,
Ut meus oblito pulvis amore vacet.
Illic Phylacides iucundae coniugis heros
23. An tua quod NO Hertz, etc. Ah tua quot Z Bae. En tua
quot Mueller. 24. foribus NO edd. foliis conj. Bae. 26. fossa F'
facta N Hertz, etc. fata Z Palm. 2?. divini fontes O dumosi
monies Heinsius, Bae. Clusini R. Ellis. Post, (in Corp.) reads Pro
quo mi nudi monies. 29. querellae DV 1 querelae the rest. 30.
ut argutae conj. Bae. 31. resonant AF 1 Per. (and vacant}.
1. non tristos N. 4. o&setjuiis F 1 . 5. nostris'V* nosterTSO.
1. iocundae or iocunde NO iucundae Lach. Hertz. Palm, iocundae
Bae. Paley.
42 PROPERTIUS, I. 19., 8-26.
Non potuit caecis inmemor esse locis,
Sed cupidus falsis attingere gaudia palmis
Thessalis antiquam venerat umbra domum.
11 24. Death shall not cool my love for thee : ah ! let no rival
bid thee dry thy tears for me.
Illic quidquid ero, semper tua dicar imago :
Traicit et fati litora magnus amor.
Illic formosae veniant chorus heroinae,
Quas dedit Argivis Dardana praeda viris ;
Quarum nulla tua fuerit mihi, Cynthia, forma 15
Gratior, et Tellus hoc ita iusta sinat.
Quamvis te longae remorentur fata senectae,
Cara tamen lacrimis ossa futura meis.
Quae tu viva mea possis sentire favilla!
Turn mihi non ullo mors sit amara loco. 20
Quam vereor ne te contempto, Cynthia, busto,
Abstrahat heu ! nostro pulvere iniquus Amor,
Cogat et invitam lacrimas siccare cadentes!
Flectitur assiduis certa puella minis.
25 26. Meanwhile, let us love while life shall last.
Quare, dum licet, inter nos laetemur amantes : 25
Non satis est ullo tempore longus amor.
8. inmemor N immemor ADV. 10. Thessalis DV Ital.
Thessalus NAG- venerat NA verberat DV. 11. qidcquid N.
12. Traicit NHb. 13. venial DV. 15. Quarum NO Hertz.
Harum Bae. Palm. Heinsius. 17. longe te NA. 18. tuis Scaliger.
19. tu viva meapossis NO edd. cum mixta mea passim conj. Bae. (!)
22. Abstraat N Abstrat AP / (for heu) N a Z e O Per.
PROPERTIUS, I. 22., i-io. 43
1.22.
1 1O. What my birth, thou askest, Tullus, and my birth-
place ? Knawest thou Perusia ? Close under Perusia, in
Umbria, I was born.
Qualis et unde genus, qui sint mihi, Tulle, Penates,
Quaeris pro nostra semper amicitia.
Si Perusina tibi patriae sunt nota sepulcra,
Italiae duris funera temporibus,
Cum Romana suos egit discordia cives, 5
Sed mihi praecipue, pulvis Etrusca, dolor :
Tu proiecta mei perpessa es membra propinqui,
Tu nullo miseri contegis ossa solo:
Proxima supposito contingens Umbria campo
Me genuit, terris fertilis uberibus. 10
3. For patriae Bae. suggests pat-rum. For sepulcra Scaliger
conj. sepultae. 6. Sed (set} Palm. Sit NO Per. Hertz. Sis Seal.
Sic Hb Z Lach. Mueller praecipue NV 1 . 9. subposito NA
supposito the rest.
PROPERTIUS, II. i.
1 16. Thou askest, Mcecenas, why love is ever the burden of
my song ? My muse comes all from Cynthia : whatever
she wears, or does, or says, is to me a fount of song.
QUAERITIS, unde mihi totiens scribantur araores,
Unde meus veniat mollis in ora liber.
Non haec Calliope, non haec mihi cantat Apollo :
Ingenium nobis ipsa puella facit.
Sive illam Cois fulgentem incedere coccis, 5
Hoc totum e Coa veste volumen erit:
Seu vidi ad frontem sparsos errare capillos,
Gaudet laudatis ire superba comis:
Sive lyrae carmen digitis percussit eburnis,
Miramur, facilis ut premat arte manus : i o
Seu cum poscentes somnum declinat ocellos,
Invenio causas mille poeta novas:
Seu quidquid fecit sive est quodcumque locuta, 15
Maxima de nihilo nascitur historia.
17 26. Had mine been the gift to sing of heroes and their deeds,
I should have sung first of Casar's glories, then of thine.
Quod mihi si tantum, Maecenas, fata dedissent,
Ut possem heroas ducere in arma manus,
2. moris N ora O ore N. 5-10. Lach. and Bae. invert the order
of these lines. Lach. (followed by Mueller) places them thus : 9,
10-7, 8-5, 6. Baehrens thus: 7, 8-5, 6-9, 10. 5. ehois NO
coccis Lach. Hertz. Bae. Mueller cogis NAF togis DV vidi Z
Palm, novi Huschke. 6. Hoc NO Hoc Bae. Hoc totum in Coa
conj. Lach. 10. facilis N faciles DV 11. cum O iam Bae.
15. VhMfMCfm/: and so elsewhere.
PROPERTIUS, II. i., 1-36. 45
Non ego Titanas canerem, non Ossan Olympo
Impositam, ut caeli Pelion esset iter, 20
Non veteres Thebas, nee Pergama nomen
Homeri,
Xerxis et imperio bina coisse vada,
Regnavs prima Remi, aut animos Carthaginis
altae,
Cimbrorumque minas et benefacta Mari :
Bellaque resque tui memorarem Caesaris, et tu 25
Caesare sub magno cura secunda fores.
27 36. Wherever Catsar fought, wherever C&sar triumphed,
the Muse links thy name with his true loyal heart, in
camp or council !
Nam quotiens Mutinam aut civilia busta Philippos
Aut canerem Siculae classica bella fugae,
Eversosque focos antiquae gentis Etruscae,
Et Ptolemaeei litora capta Phari, 30
Aut canerem Aegyptum et Nilum, cum atratus
in urbem
Septem captivis debilis ibat aquis,
Aut regum auratis circumdata colla catenis,
Actiaque in Sacra currere rostra Via :
Te mea Musa illis semper contexeret armis, 35
Et sumpta et posita pace fidele caput.
20. Impositam NAF Per. Impositum DV Hertz. 21. pergam N.
22. Xerxive inperio Lach. 30. Et NO aut Schrader, Bae. ptolo-
menei N Ptolemaeei Hertz. Palm. Mueller ptholomeae D Ptolo-
maei Bae. 31. V Schrader, Bae. Palm. Aut NO Hertz, cyptum NA
Cyprum Per. DV Hertz. Aegyptum edd. Coptum Bae. atratus
Bae. Palm, attractus NA tractus DV Per Hertz, atractatus F
urbem N Per. Hertz, urbe Palm. 35. contexerit NO.
46 PROPERTIUS, II. i., 37-78.
37 42. Callimachus could not sing of Jove s batiks, nor can I
of Casars.
Theseus infernis, superis testatur Achilles,
Hie Ixioniden, ille Menoetiaden.
Sed neque Phlegraeos lovis Enceladique tumultus
Intonet angusto pectore Callimachus, 40
Nee mea conveniunt duro praecordia versu
Caesaris in Phrygios condere nomen avos.
51 7O. No spells can win me from my love: I die of an ill
that no medicine may heal, no charm drive aitiay.
Seu mihi sunt tangenda novercae pocula 51
Phaedrae,
Pocula privigno non nocitura suo,
Seu mihi Circaeo pereundum est gramine, sive
Colchis lolciacis urat aena focis,
Una meos quoniam praedata est femina sensus, 55
Ex hac ducentur funera nostra domo.
Omnes humanos sanat medicina dolores :
Solus amor morbi non amat artificem.
Tarda Philoctetae sanavit crura Machaon,
Phoenicis Chiron lumina Phillyrides; 60
Et deus extinctum Cressis Epidaurius herbis
Restituit patriis Androgeona focis;
Mysus et Haemonii iuvenis qua cuspide vulnus
37. infernis O ut larvis conj. Bae. 41. praeveniunt AF.
51. sunt NAF Hertz. Bae. sint DV Paley. 54. chalets NDV
colchiacis (_or cholchiacis) O Hertz.: lokiacis Scaliger, Bae. Palm.
ahena DV. 58. habet Schrader, Bae. who thinks amat has crept
in from non amat artificem I. 2. 8. 61. craesis M" crests O.
63. Missus N Misus VF emonia A aemonia D Haemonii
conj. Heinsius, Palm. Muel.
PROPERTIUS, II. 2., 1-4. 47
Senserat, hac ipsa cuspide sensit opem.
Hoc si quis vitium poterit mihi demere, solus 65
Tantalea poterit tradere poma manu :
Dolia virgineis idem ille repleverit urnis,
Ne tenera assidua colla graventur aqua :
Idem Caucasia solvet de rupe Promethei
Brachia, et a medio pectore pellet avem. 70
71 78. Only do thou, Mcccenas, thou glory of my life, my death,
stay thy car beside my grave and say : ' ' Twas a maiden's
hard heart that slew him.'
Quandocumque igitur vitam mea fata reposcent,
Et breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero,
Maecenas, nostrae spes invidiosa iuventae,
Et vitae et morti gloria iusta meae,
Si te forte meo ducet via proxima busto, 75
Esseda caelatis siste Britanna iugis,
Taliaque illacrimans mutae iace verba favillae :
' Huic misero fatum dura puella fuit.'
II. 2.
5 8. How fair her hair, her hands, her form ! how stately
her gait !
Fulva coma est, longaeque manus, et maxima toto 5
Corpore, et incedit vel love digna soror,
Aut cum Dulichias Pallas spatiatur ad aras,
Gorgonis anguiferae pectus operta comis.
66. Tantelea N Tantalea O Per. Hertz. Tantaleae Beroaldus,
Bae. Palm. With Tantalea, carpere or radere have been conj.
67. urnis O umbris conj. Bae. 71. me conj. Heinsius. 73.
spes NO pars GZ Hertz. Paley. 75. ducit DV.
6. Corporeque incedit F ceu love digna viro Heinsius vel love
dignus amor Lach. 7. Aut cum O Hertz. Ut cum Z Bae. Dul-
chias V 1 Munychias Z Mueller.
48 PROPERTIUS, II. 3., 1-22.
1 8. Alas, that I so late boasted I could love no more! my
boast is vain.
Qui nullam tibi dicebas iam posse nocere,
Haesisti: cecidit spiritus ille tuus.
Vix unum potes, infelix, requiescere mensem,
Et turpis de te iam liber alter erit.
Quaerebam, sicca si posset piscis harena 5
Nee solitus ponto vivere torvus aper,
Aut ego si possem studiis vigilare severis :
Differtur, numquam tollitur ullus amor.
26. 'Tis not her face only that enslaves me: her gifts of dance,
of voice, of song, were granted to her at birth by the Gods.
Nec me tarn facies, quamvis sit Candida, cepit
Lilia non domina sint magis alba mea : 10
Ut Maeotica nix minio si certet Hibero,
Utque rosae puro lacte natant folia;
Nec de more comae per levia colla fluentes,
Non oculi, geminae, sidera nostra, faces;
Nec si qua Arabic lucet bombyce puella 15
Non sum de nihilo blandus amator ego,
Quantum quod posito formose saltat laccho,
Egit ut euantes dux Ariadna chores,
Et quantum, Aeolio cum temptat carmina plectro,
Par Aganippeae ludere docta lyrae, 20
Et sua cum antiquae committit scripta Corinnae,
Carmina quae quaevis non putat aequa suis.
1. nullam Heinsius, edd. nullum NO. 10. sint NF Hertz. Palm.
sunt DV Per. Bae. 11. Ut NDV Hertz. VFBae. certet O certat
Z Bae. 15. si qua Arabia O Hertz. Palm, sic quom Arabia conj. Bae.
17. quod O quom Lach. Bae. 18. euhantes NV 2 euantes DV
eufaves F cores F. 19. tentat DV. 22. quae quivis NO Per.
PROPERTIUS, II. 10., 1-12. 49
Num tibi nascenti primis, mea vita, diebus
Candidus argutum sternuit omen Amor?
Haec tibi contulerunt caelestia munera divi, 25
Haec tibi ne matrem forte dedisse putes.
II. 10.
1 1O. *7Yr time now my Muse were taking a wider and a
graver theme ; I have sung my love : I must now sing
Casar, and Ccesars deeds in arms.
Sed tempus lustrare aliis Helicona choreis,
Et campum Haemonio iam dare tempus equo.
lam libet et fortes memorare ad praelia turmas,
Et Romana mei dicere castra ducis.
Quod si deficiant vires, audacia certe 5
Laus erit : in magnis et voluisse sat est.
Aetas prima canat Veneres, extrema tumultus :
Bella canam, quando scripta puella mea est.
Nunc volo subducto gravior procedere vultu,
Nunc aliam citharam me mea Musa docet., 10
11 18. Rise, then, my soul! and tell how East and West are
trembling before his touch.
Surge, anima, ex humili ; iam, carmina, sumite vires ;
Pierides, magni nunc erit oris opus.
qtiae qiiaevis conj. Palm. quae quivis putet Post. Q has Car-
mina quae lyrnes : whence Carminaque Erinnes Volscus, Hertz.
Mueller. 23. Num F Hertz. Bae. Nunc DV Non N Mueller
Nascenti et -primis Lach. 24. Candidus Macrobius, Bae. Mueller,
Palm. ecld. Ardidus NF Hertz. Aridus DV Arridus Per.
augustae Macrobius. 25. tibi om. by N" Haec haec Palm.
contulerint N"F Per. contulerunt Z cum tulerint D.
1. coreis F. 2. hemonio NFG- emonio DV Aonio Hein-
sius, Bae. Emathio Muel. Maeonio hns been conj. 10. Nunc
NV Hertz, etc. Nanque D Ndque F lamque Bae. 11. car-
mina F Lach. Palm. Bae. carmine NDV Hertz. Some punctuate
ex humili iam carmine ; sumite vires, Pierides.
50 PROPERTIUS, II. 10., 13-26. II., 1-6.
lam negat Euphrates equitem post terga tueri
Parthorum, et Grasses se tenuisse dolet :
India quin, Auguste, tuo dat colla triumpho, 15
Et domus intactae te tremit Arabiae :
Et si qua extremis tellus se subtrahit oris,
Sentiat ilia tuas post modo capta manus.
19 26. This be my task : and if my humble Muse may not
deck Ccesar's brows, it may cast a chaplet before his feet.
Haec ego castra sequar : vates tua castra canendo
Magnus ero : servent hunc mihi fata diem ! 20
Ut caput in magnis ubi non est tangere signis,
Ponitur hie imos ante corona pedes,
Sic nos nunc, inopes laudis conscendere carmen,
Pauperibus sacris vilia tura damus.
Nondum etiam Ascraeos norunt mea carmina
fontes, 25
Sed modo Permessi flumine lavit Amor.
II. ii.
1 6. Let others sing of thee, Cynthia, or die unknown: so
when thou shall have lost all thy charms in death, no
traveller shall stop to say 'Here lies a learned maid '/*
Scribant de te alii vel sis ignota licebit ;
Laudet, qui sterili semina ponit humo :
15. quis NO quin Z. 17. horis N. 22. hie DV hoc NF.
23. carmen NO Hertz, etc. culmen Z Heinsius, Bae. currum
Markland. 24. thura O. 25. etiam NO etenim Bae. Mueller.
II. 1 1. F joins this fragment to the previous poem : the other
MSS. give it as a separate poem.
1. vel NDV ne F Bae. Hous. 2. Laudet DV Ludet NFV 2 .
PROPERTIUS, II. 12., 1-12. 51
Omnia, crede mihi, secum uno munera lecto
Auferet extremi funeris atra dies :
Et tua transibit contemnens ossa viator, 5
Nee dicet: 'Cinis hie docta puella fuit.'
II. 12.
-8. How wondrous clever was the fainter who first drew
Love as a giddy Boy, and endowed with wings !
Quicumque ille fuit, puerum qui pinxit Amorem,
Nonne putes miras hunc habuisse manus ?
Is primum vidit sine sensu vive're amantes,
Et levibus curis magna perire bona.
Idem non frustra ventosas addidit alas,
Fecit et humano corde volare deum ;
Scilicet alterna quoniam iactamur in unda,
Nostraque non ullis permanet aura locis.
-16. Rightly too is he armed with a bow and with quiver:
how swift and sure he strikes ! In my breast his shafts are
fast : he has lost his wings, and drains my life-blood dry.
Et merito hamatis manus est armata sagittis,
Et pharetra ex humero Gnosia utroque iacet; 10
Ante ferit quoniam, tuti quam cernimus hostem,
Nee quisquam ex illo vulnere sanus abit.
3. secum Z Hertz, etc. tecum NO Per. Bae. 6. cuius F.
1. primus F. 3. Is NDV fficf. 6. humana sorte Hein-
sius immani corde Burmann. Bae. suggests humano calce. 8.
Bae. conj. umbra for aura. 10. uterque N. 12. abit N"V
erit DF Bae.
E 2
52 PROPERTIUS, II. 12., 13-24.
In me tela manent, manet et puerilis imago:
Sed certe pennas perdidit ille suas,
Evolat heu! nostro quoniam de pectore nusquam, 15
Assiduusque meo sanguine bella gerit.
17 24. Oh ! turn thy shafts elsewhere and slay me not: else
who will sing the head, the hands, the eyes, the gait of
Cynthia ?
Quid tibi iucundum est siccis habitare medullis?
Si pudor est, alio traice tela tua.
Intactos isto satius temptare veneno:
Non ego, sed tenuis vapulat umbra mea. 20
Quam si perdideris, quis erit qui talia cantet?
(Haec mea Musa levis gloria magna tua est),
Qui caput et digitos et lumina nigra puellae
Et canat ut soleant molliter ire pedes?
II. 13.
17 26. When I die, Cynthia, kt there be no pomp and parade
at my funeral ; no images, no trumpets, no perfumes, no
splendidly adorned bier : enough if my poems be my pro-
cession.
Quandocumque igitur nostros mors claudet ocellos,
Accipe quae serves funeris acta mei.
Nee mea tune longa spatietur imagine pompa,
Nee tuba sit fati vana querella mei, 20
15. /(for^w)N eO a\ Bae. 18. Si puer est alio NO
pudor V Bae. conj. /, puer, en alio tela tua or bella tita Z
puella tuo NO loco N 2 tela puer V Si puer est alio traijce puella
loco Per. 19. temptare N tentare DV. 24. canit V.
19. Nee NO Ne Burmann. Bae. 20. quercla NO.
PROPERTIUS, II. 13., 17-40. 53
Nee mihi tune fulcro sternatur lectus eburno,
Nee sit in Attalico mors mea nixa toro ;
Desit odoriferis ordo mihi lancibus; adsint
Plebei parvae funeris exequiae.
Sat mea sat magna est si tres sint pompa libelli, 25
Quos ego Persephonae maxima dona feram.
27 38. But let thy loving care be there to give me one last kiss,
to place a laurel-branch over my tomb, and to write on it
the undying epitaph 'He lived a faithful lover?
Tu vero nudum pectus lacerata sequeris,
Nee fueris nomen lassa vocare meum,
Osculaque in gelidis pones suprema labellis,
Cum dabitur Syrio munere plenus onyx. 30
Deinde, ubi subpositus cinerem me fecerit ardor,
Accipiat manes parvula testa meos,
Et sit in exiguo laurus superaddita busto,
Quae tegat extincti funeris umbra locum.
Et duo sint versus : ' Qui nunc iacet horrida
pulvis, 35
Unius hie quondam servus amoris erat/
Nee minus haec nostri notescet fama sepulcri,
Quam fuerant Phthii busta cruenta viri.
3942. Long mayest thou live : but slight not thou my ashes
they will know the slight and when thou diest, come to me.
Tu quoque si quando venies ad fata, memento,
Hoc iter ad lapides cana veni memores. 40
23. at sint conj. Heinsius. 24. obsequiae NF. 25. mea
sat Z mea sit NO mea sic conj. Bae. magna si O magna est
si Z. 27. Turn DV. 31. subpositus N suppositus O. 34.
Bae. conj. funebris. 36. UnusTS. 40. Hoc iter O Hoc itere
Scaliger Hue ferri ac lapides cana subire meos Heinsius Hue cura
ad lapides, cara, vehi memores Bae.
54 PROPERTIUS, II. 13., 41-58.
Interea cave sis nos aspernata sepultos :
Non nihil ad verum conscia terra sapit.
43 5O. Ah ! -why did I live beyond the cradle ? Why live to
tremble for death, or, like Nestor, to deem it late in coming?
Atque utinam primis animam me ponere cunis
lussisset quaevis de tribus una soror !
Nam quo tarn dubiae serve tur spiritus horae? 45
Nestoris est visus post tria saecla cinis.
Cui si tarn longae minuisset fata senectae
'Gallicus Iliacis miles in aggeribus,
Non ille Antilochi vidisset corpus humari,
Diceret aut : ' O mors, cur mihi sera venis ? ' 50
51 58. Yet wilt thou weep for me, as Venus wept Adonis ; and
though all in vain, thou wilt call on my spirit for an
answer.
Tu tamen amisso non numquam flebis amico :
Fas est praeteritos semper amare viros.
Testis, qui niveum quondam percussit Adonem
Venantem Idalio vertice durus aper.
Illis formosum iacuisse paludibus, illuc 55
Diceris effusa tu, Venus, isse coma.
45. serventur F servatur Ital. 46. visits NF iussus DV
Bae. suggests ustus or tostus. 47. Quis (am longaevae NO Cui
tarn longaevae Hertz. Bae. conj. Quoi stamen longae renuisset.
Another conj. is Cui si tarn longae. minuisset NF^ meminisset
DV iuravisset F meruisset Per. 48. Gallicus O Per. Hertz.
Callidus, Bellicus (adopted by Palm.), Saucius, Troicus, Ilius, Cae-
rulus have all been conj. 49. ille is om. in N. 50. aut the
MSS. : Bae. conj. unde. 53. qui NO cut Huschke, Hertz, quoi
Bae. Adonem NO Adonim Z. 55. illic Z Bae. lavisse Z
Scaliger (from Per.) Palm, who states H. A. J. Munro approved
iacuisse NO Hertz. 56. esse F.
PROPERTIUS, II. 28., 1-14. 55
Sed frustra mutos revocabis, Cynthia, manes:
Nam mea qui poterunt ossa minuta loqui?
II. 28.
1 8. O! spare my fair one, Jupiter, struck down by the
raging Dog-star, or perchance, it may be, for vows forsworn.
luppiter, affectae tandem miserere puellae :
Tarn Formosa tuum mortua crimen erit.
Venit enim tempus, quo torridus aestuat aer,
Incipit et sicco fervere terra Cane.
Sed non tarn ardoris culpa est neque crimina
caeli, 5
Quam totiens sanctos non habuisse deos.
Hoc perdit miseras, hoc perdidit ante puellas:
Quidquid iurarunt, ventus et unda rapit.
914. Hast thou boasted thyself to Venus? hast thou scoffed at
Juno or at Pallas ? Ill words have aye been fair maiden's
bane.
Num sibi collatam doluit Venus ? ilia peraeque
Prae se formosis invidiosa dea est. 10
An contempta tibi lunonis templa Pelasgae,
Palladis aut oculos ausa negare bonos?
Semper, formosae, non nostis parcere verbis :
Hoc tibi lingua nocens, hoc tibi forma dedit.
58. qui N Palm, quid all other MSS. and edd.
8. turarem N iuratur Per. 9. Num DF Non N Nun
others ilia NO ipsa Z peraeque or peraequae N Hb. parem-
yueFG peraegreYer. ipsa paremque Paley, Bae. Muel. ilia?
peraeque old edd. and Palm, who quotes Cic. Att. 2. 19 tarn perae-
que omnibus ordinibus offensa. See notes. 11. At contenla V*.
12. PalliJis N.
56 PROPERTIUS, II. 28., 15-34.
^
IS 24. Yet will better days come to thee: as to lo and to Ino,
to Andromeda and to Callisto.
Sed tibi vexatae per multa pericula vitae 15
Extreme veniet mollior hora die.
lo versa caput primos mugiverat annos:
Nunc dea, quae Nili flumina vacca bibit.
Ino etiam prima terris aetate vagata est :
Hanc miser inplorat navita Leucothoen. 20
Andromede monstris fuerat devota marinis:
Haec eadem Persei nobilis uxor erat.
Callisto Arcadios erraverat ursa per agros :
Haec nocturna suo sidere vela regit.
25 34. Bear thyself humbly, Cynthia, for even Doom maybe
turned; and if thou diest, thou shall be first among all
maids of story.
Quod si forte tibi properarint fata quietem, 25
Ilia sepulturae fata beata tuae.
Narrabis Semelae, quo sit formosa periclo:
Credet et ilia, suo docta puella malo :
Et tibi Maeonias omnis heroidas inter
Primus erit nulla non tribuente locus. 30
Nunc, utcumque potes, fato gere saucia morem :
Et deus et durus vertitur ipse dies.
Hoc tibi vel poterit coniunx ignoscere luno :
Frangitur et luno, si qua puella peril.
15. vexata . . . vita Z. 16. veniet V 2 venit NO veniat Z.
18. vacha F. 20. inplorat N implorat DV. 21. devota
NF 2 V 2 edd. monstrata O sacrata conj. Bae. 24. sidera F.
26. Ilia NO Ipsa Z Igne conj. Bae. fata NO facta Z Bae. Ipsa,
sepulturae sorte beata tuae, Narrabis Lach. 29. inter heroidas
omnis NF omnis herodias (sic) inter DV; see Ov. Trist. i. 6. 33.
O has inter que : so Paley. 33. poterit N poterat O.
PROPERTIUS, II. 28., 35-48. 57
35 40. Alas! every magic spell has failed: one dark boat is
to carry off my love.
Deficiunt magico torti sub carmine rhombi, 35
Et iacet extincto laurus adusta foco,
Et iam Luna negat totiens descendere caelo,
Nigraque funestum concinit omen avis.
Una ratis fati nostros portabit amores
Caerula ad infernos velificata lacus. 40
41 46. spare us, Jupiter, and let us both pay glad vows to
thee!
Si non unius, quaeso, miserere duorum.
Vivam, si vivet : si cadet ilia, cadam.
Pro quibus optatis sacro me carmine damno:
Scribam ego : ' per magnum salva puella
lovem,'
Ante tuosque pedes ilia ipsa operata sedebit, 45
Narrabitque sedens longa pericla sua.
47 56. Long be this mercy thine, Pluto, and thine, Persephone !
ye have so many fair ones in your realm: the fair of Troy
and of Achaia, and, save this one only, all the fair of Rome.
Haec tua, Persephone, maneat dementia, nee tu,
Persephonae coniunx, saevior esse velis.
35. In N a new poem commences here. Bae. ends the poem at
1. 46 and holds that 11. i and 2 belong to 11. 33-46, and that the
passage so adjusted should precede 11. 3-32. 35. sub imagine
F. 36. iacet O facet Bae. 38. concinit V 2 edd. con-
didit NO : Bae. cps. Ov. Am. 3. 12. 2. 40. lacus NO locos conj.
Bae. 43. For carmine of the MSS. Palmer conj. crimine, as it
would be absurd to call the words per magnum .... lovem a
votive poem. He supposes sacro crimine damnatus could be equiva-
lent to voti reus. 44. est is inserted after magnum in O, om. by
NZ. 45. operta NO adoperta V 2 operata Heinsius (to which
opata of Hb. seems to point). 11. 47-62 are joined to the preceding
poem in NO, Lach. Bae. Palm. Mueller suppose them to form
a separate poem. 47. maneat NF moveat DV.
58 PROPERTIUS,\\. 28., 49-60.
Sunt apud infernos tot milia formosarum :
Pulchra sit in superis, si licet, una locis. 50
Vobiscum est lope, vobiscum Candida Tyro,
Vobiscum Europe, nee proba Pasiphae ;
Et quot Troia tulit vetus et quot Achaia formas,
Et Thebe et Priami diruta regna senis,
Et quaecumque erat in numero Romana puella, 55
Occidit: has omnis ignis avarus habet.
57 6O. Further or nearer, Death comes to all: pay thou thy
vows, my dear one, to Diana !
Nec forma aeternum aut cuiquam est fortuna
perennis :
Longius aut propius mors sua quemque manet.
Tu quoniam es, mea lux, magno dimissa periclo,
Munera Dianae debita redde choros. 60
1 16. Thou askest why I come so late? I have seen Casars
glorious temple to Phoebus dedicated this day, with its statues
and marble columns, its sun-chariot and ivory gates, and
the Pythian God himself in minstrefs robe.
Quaeris, cur veniam tibi tardior? aurea Phoebi
Porticus a magno Caesare aperta fuit.
49. a/w/V 1 Bae. millia'V 1 . 50. si licet NV scilice
53. Troia NO Eoa Hertz. Creta Bae. ; Phthia, lona, Sparta,
Thraca, have been conjectured. 54. phebi N ph[o)ebi O
Phoebei et muri Hertz. Thebae Scaliger. Palmer has Thebe and cps.
Ov. Am. 3. 12. 15. 56. omnis N omnesTSV. Bae. says ignis
is indefensible : why ? and suggests Ditis or Orcus. 57- perennis
DV feremnis F perhennis N. 59. dimissa Z demissa NO.
PROPERTIUS, II. 31., 1-16. 59
Tanta erat in speciem Poenis digesta columnis,
Inter quas Danai femina turba senis.
Hie equidem Phoebo visus mihi pulchrior ipso 5
Marmoreus tacita carmen hiare lyra,
Atque aram circum steterant armenta ^Myronis
Quattuor artificis, vivida signa, boves.
Turn medium claro surgebat marmore templum,
Et patria Phoebo carius Ortygia, 10
In quo Solis erat supra fastigia currus,
Et valvae, Libyci nobile dentis opus,
Altera deiectos Parnasi vertice Gallos,
Altera maerebat funera Tantalidos.
Deinde inter matrem deus ipse interque sororem 15
Pythius in longa carmina veste sonat.
3. Tanta NO Tota Per. Z Hertz, edd. Quanta Bae. 5. Hertz,
and others place 11. 5-8 after 1. 16. equidem. So the MSS. Palm,
conj. Phoebus Phoebo. See notes. 7- steterant NDV steterunt F
Bae. steterantque F 2 . 8. Quatuor O artificis O artifices edd.
10. carius MTV 2 edd. clarior DV. 11. Et quo NO In quo or
Auro Z aurea Per. aequos Bae. which he explains 'i.e. itidem
marmoreus.' Et duo . . . erant Hertz. See Ov. Pont. 4. 6. 48.
16. Pithius N.
PROPERTIUS, III. 1.
1 6. Shades of Callimachus and Philetas ! 'Tis I first that
bring your rites to Italy : tell me, -whence came your -won-
drous art ?
CALLIMACHI Manes et Coi sacra Philetae,
In vestrum, quaeso, me sinite ire nemus.
Primus ego ingredior puro de fonte sacerdos
Itala per Graios orgia ferre chores.
Dicite, quo pariter carmen tenuastis in antro ? 5
Quove pede ingressi? quamve bibistis aquam?
7 14. Farewell to arms! My Muse has triumphed with the
fine and finished songs of love: all poets swell my train.
Ah valeat, Phoebum quicumque moratur in armis !
Exactus tenui pumice versus eat;
Quo me Fama levat terra sublimis, et a me
Nata coronatis Musa triumphal equis, 10
Et mecum in curru parvi vectantur Amores,
Scriptorumque meas turba secuta rotas.
Quid frustra missis in me certatis habenis?
Non datur ad Musas currere lata via.
1. coi NV 2 c hoi O For sacra Bae. con), fata ( = umbra). 4.
toros F. 6. tenuastis NF 2 tenuistis O. 7. Ha F.
10. nota Z. 11. currum N. 13. missis MSS. inmissis
Auratus admissis Palm.
PROPERTIUS, Hi. i., 1-28. 6 1
15 2O. Others will sing of Rome and her greatness : be mine
the poefs tender chaplet, not the stern crown of War.
Multi, Roma, tuas laudes annalibus addent, 15
Qui finem imperii Bactra futura canent:
Sed, quod pace legas, opus hoc de monte Sororum
Detulit intacta pagina nostra via.
Mollia, Pegasides, date vestro serta poetae :
Non faciet capiti dura corona meo. 20
21 24. Envy may carp at me now: but my fame will grow
all the greater after death.
At mihi quod vivo detraxerit invida turba,
Post obitum duplici fenore reddet Honos.
Omnia post obitum fingit maiora vetustas :
Maius ab exequiis nomen in ora venit.
25 32. Who would know of Troy and all her woes if she had
had no singer ?
Nam quis equo pulsas abiegno nosceret arces, 25
Fluminaque Haemonio cominus isse viro,
Idaeum Simoenta lovis cunabula parvi
Hectora per campos ter maculasse rotas?
16. canant Z. 17. de fonte Z. 19. nostro F vestro
date V 2 Hertz. 21. detraxit F detraxerat V. 22. du-
plicei N reddet F 2 "^ reddit NO Ut mihi . . . reddat Markland
honos Z onus NO. 23. Omnia NO Fame . . . vetustae N.
24. hora F. 25. ab regno V artes NO. 26. isse viro V
esse viro ND ille raro F. 27. Idaeum Simoenta N iovis
cunabula parvi O N has iovis with the rest of the line omitted
Bae. follows the conj. of G. Wolff, Iovis cum prole Scamandro Palm,
conj. Idaeos mantes Iovis incunabula parvi, remarking that Simoenta
has been introduced because of fiumina in 1. 26, and quoting Virg.
Aen. 3. 105, Cic. Att. 2. 41. See notes. 28. For per Fruter conj.
ter : so Lach.
62 PROPERTIUS, in. i., 29-40.
Deiphobumque Helenumque et Pulydamantas in
armis ?
Qualemcumque Parin vix sua nosset humus. 30
Exiguo sermone fores nunc Ilion, et tu
Troia bis Oetaei numine capta dei.
33 4O. And as Homers fame grew ever greater as time went
on, so too shall mine.
Nec non ille tui casus memorator Homerus
Posteritate suum crescere sensit opus ;
Meque inter seros laudabit Roma nepotes : 35
Ilium post cineres auguror ipse diem.
Ne mea contempto lapis indicet ossa sepulcro
Provisum est Lycio vota probante deo ;
Carminis interea nostri redeamus in orbem,
Gaudeat ut solito tacta puella sono. 40
III. 2.
1 8. If Orpheus, Amphion, and Polyphemus wrought marvels
with their song, is it strange that maidens should be moved
by words of mine ?
Orphea delinisse feras et concita dicunt
Flumina Threicia sustinuisse lyra:
Saxa Cithaeronis Thebas agitata per artem
Sponte sua in muri membra coisse ferunt :
29. So Hertz. Paley, Palm, poliledamantes in armis N fuli leda-
mantes F Polydamanta sub armis Z Polydamanta et in armis
Bae. Mueller. 30. part N parim O noscet DV. 33. memo-
ratur N. 85. Me quoque per seros conj. Bae. 36. auguror ipse
deae N. 37. lapsis N. 39. The MSS. begin the 2nd Poem
here. See notes. 40. ut VZ Hertz. Palm. insolito N in
solito DHQ Hertz. Bae.
1. delinisse conj. Ayrmann detinuisse NV 2 Hertz. detenuisse
FV 1 Per. (and 1. 2) te tenuissc D delenisse Bae. Mueller. 2. sus-
tinuisse NP edd. detinuisse DV. 4. in muri DV inmimeri N.
PROPERTIUS, III. 2., 1-24. 63
Quin etiam, Polypheme, fera Galatea sub Aetna 5
Ad tua rorantes carmina flexit equos :
Miremur, nobis et Baccho et Apolline dextro,
Turba puellarum si mea verba colit ?
9 16. Though no gorgeous house, no fruitful lands are mine,
yet is the Muse my comrade and my friend.
Quod non Taenariis domus est mihi fulta columnis,
Nee camera auratas inter eburna trabes, 10
Nee mea Phaeacas aequant pomaria silvas,
Non operosa rigat Marcius antra liquor :
At musae comites, et carmina cara legenti,
Nee defessa choris Calliopea meis.
Fortunata, meo si qua est celebrata libello ! 1 5
Carmina erunt formae tot monumenta tuae.
17 24. Happy she whose fame I sing! more stable than Pyra-
mid, or monument of Mausolus, my name will know no
death.
Nam neque pyramidum sumptus ad sidera ducti,
Nee lovis Elei caelum imitata domus,
Nee Mausolei dives fortuna sepulcri
Mortis ab extrema condicione vacant. 20
Aut illis flamma aut imber subducet honores,
Annorum aut ictu pondere victa ruent.
At non ingenio quaesitum nomen ab aevo
Excidet: ingenio stat sine morte decus.
5. fera MSS. edd. 11. pheacias ND feacias F. 12. ante
N. 13. comitis NDV comiti F comites FV' 2 . 14. Nee conj.
Bae. Palm. Et O Hertz., omitted by N. 21. subducit N sub-
ducet Hertz, edd. 22. ictu NF ictus DV ipso Bae. pondere
NDV pondera F Palm., following Burmann, reads Annorum
aut ictu, pondere victa, ruent.
64 PROPERTIUS, III. 3., 1-20.
III. 3.
1 13. Methought I lay on Helicon, and sang of Alba and
the Horatii, of ^Emilius and Fabius, of Cannes fatal
field, of the Capitol saved from the Gallic host.
Visus eram molli recubans Heliconis in umbra,
Bellerophontei qua fluit humor equi,
Reges, Alba, tuos et regum facta tuorum,
Tantum operis, nervis hiscere posse meis ;
Parvaque tarn magnis admoram fontibus ora, 5
Unde pater sitiens Ennius ante bibit,
Et cecini Curios fratres et Horatia pila,
Regiaque Aemilia vecta tropaea rate,
Victricesque moras Fabii pugnamque sinistram
Cannensem et versos ad pia vota deos, 10
Hannibalemque Lares Romana sede fugantes,
Anseris et tutum voce fuisse lovem:
13 24. But Apollo chid me and said: ' Not thine to sing of
heroes in heroic strain, but only soft lays of love: leave not
the course prescribed for thee!
Cum me Castalia speculans ex arbore Phoebus
Sic ait, aurata nixus ad antra lyra: .
' Quid tibi cum tali, demens, est flumine? quis te 15
Carminis heroi tangere iussit opus ?
Non hie ulla tibi speranda est fama, Properti :
Mollia sunt parvis prata terenda rotis,
Ut tuus in scamno iactetur saepe libellus,
Quern legal expectans sola puella virum. 20
5. Mueller conj. Pronaque tarn O iam Heinsius, Bae. 6.
sciens N ibit N. 7. cecinit MSS. Hertz. Bae. cecini old edd.
11. lares P locus N.
PROPERTIUS, III. 3, 21-38. -65
Cur tua praescriptos evecta est pagina gyros?
Non est ingenii cymba gravanda tui.
Alter remus aquas, alter tibi radat arenas:
Tutus eris : medio maxima turba mari est.'
25 36. With that he led me to a green mossy cave, where were
the Muses and all signs of their art : each busied with her
proper task.
Dixerat, et plectro sedem mihi monstrat eburno, 25
Quo nova muscoso semita facta solo est.
Hie erat adfixis viridis spelunca lapillis,
Pendebantque cavis tympana pumicibus.
Ergo Musarum et Sileni patris imago
Fictilis, et calami, Pan Tegeaee, tui ; 30
Et Veneris dominae volucres, mea turba, columbae
Tingunt Gorgoneo punica rostra lacu,
Diversaeque novem sortitae iura puellae
Exercent teneras in sua dona manus.
Haec hederas legit in thyrsos, haec carmina nervis 35
Aptat, at ilia manu texit utraque rosam.
37 SO. Then spake Calliope: 'Not thine to sing of steed or
trump of -war, of German or of Gallic rout, but of lovers,
revels, and serenades. '
E quarum numero me contigit una dearum ;
Ut reor a facie, Calliopea fuit :
21. perscripto N praescriptos evecta gyros Seal. etc. sevecta N
Per. Hertz. Bae. Palm, now gives up the devecta of his edd. i8So.
23. harcnas N. 26. Quo N Qua Per. Hertz. Bae. etc. 29.
Ergo O Plcctraque or Orgia Heinsius Organa Bae. musarum O
Bae. conj. Nysaei (Nusaci] Unger conj. mystarum. 32.
pumica N rostra P^ nostra NDF. 33. Divorsaeque DV
Diverseque TfF Bae. Diversaeque edd. iura Scaliger Palm, rura
the MSS and edd. 35. ederas V. 36. apta N et F ; the rest at.
66 PROPERTIUS, III. 3., 39-52.
' Contentus niveis semper vectabere cycnis,
Nee te fortis equi ducet ad arma sonus. 40
Nil tibi sit rauco praeconia classica cornu
Flare, nee Aonium tinguere Marte nemus ;
Aut quibus in campis Mariano praelia signo
Stent, et Teutonicas Roma refringat opes,
Barbarus aut Suevo perfusus sanguine Rhenus 45
Saucia maerenti corpora vectet aqua.
Quippe coronatos alienum ad limen amantes
Nocturnaeque canes ebria signa fugae,
Ut per te clausas sciat excantare puellas,
Qui volet austeros arte ferire viros.' 50
51 52. And with that she touched my lips with water from
Philetas spring.
Talia Calliope, lymphisque a fonte petitis
Ora Philetaea nostra rigavit aqua.
III.4-
1 6. Ctesar is going forth to the East : the Tigris and Eu-
phrates are to pass under his sway.
Arma Deus Caesar dites meditatur ad Indos,
Et freta gemmiferi findere classe maris.
Magna, viri, merces ; parat ultima terra triumphos ;
Tigris et Euphrates sub tua iura fluent.
41. praeconia N praeconica O Bae. suggests praeconis. 42.
Flere the MSS. Palm. cps. i. 9. 10, remarking that Prop, uses flere
of singing a doleful song, as lacrimae in i. 3. 46, i. 6. 24, 4. i. i 20
Flare Fruter, Hertz. Pal. Cp. Mart. n. 3. 8 tinguereTS tingere
DF cingere V. 45. scevo N saevo DV Suevo edd.
1. Palm, suggests metis for Dcus. 4. nova conj. Bae. IIous.
conj. Thybris, . . . .Jluet : see J. of Phil. xxi. p. 119.
PROPERTIUS, III. 4., 1-22. 67
Sera, sed Ausoniis veniet provincia virgis.: 5
Adsuescent Latio Partha tropaea lovi.
7 10. Forth -with you, men, ships, and steeds! Avenge the
Crassi, write a new page of History for Rome!
lie agite, expertae bello date lintea prorae,
Et solitum armigeri ducite munus equi.
Omina fausta cano : Grasses clademque piate :
Ite et Romanae consulite historiae. 10
11 22. And may I live to see the day of Ccesars Triumph,
and swell the plaudits on the Sacred Way!
Mars pater et sacrae fatalia lumina Vestae,
Ante meos obitus sit, precor, ilia dies,
Qua videam spoliis oneratos Caesaris axes,
Ad vulgi plausus saepe resistere equos;
Inque sinu carae nixus spectare puellae 15
Incipiam, et titulis oppida capta legam,
Tela fugacis equi, et braccati militis arcus,
Et subter captos arma sedere duces.
Ipsa tuam serva prolem, Venus : hoc sit in aevum,
Cernis ab Aenea quod superesse caput. 20
Praeda sit haec illis, quorum meruere labores:
Mi sat erit Sacra plaudere posse Via.
5. Sera sed NO Seres et conj. Gulielmius, Bae. venient Hein-
sius, Bae. 6. Adsuescent N edd. AssuescentO Adcrescent^zs.
parta N Per. 8. equi NO Bae. conj. equos and writes Armigeri.
11. Some MSS. have numina. 13. onerato axe Muretus oneratos
axes MSS. Hertz. Bae. 35. Bae. thinks nixus corrupt, as spectare
needs an object, and suggests exuvias. He is quite wrong. Spectare
is regularly used without object, as Ov. A. A. 5. 99 ; Quint. 6. 3 ;
Plaut. Poen. Prol. 32. Vinctos, nexos have been conj. 22. Me
NO Per. edd. Mi Z Palm. Sacra NV media DF.
F 2
68 PROPERTIUS, III. 5., 1-14.
III.5-
1 6. My God is Love, a God of Peace : I care not for gold,
nor gems, nor acres wide.
Pacis Amor deus est, pacem veneramur amantes :
Slant mihi cum domina praelia dura mea.
Nee tamen inviso pectus mihi carpitur auro,
Nee bibit e gemma divite nostra sitis ;
Nee mihi mille iugis Campania pinguis aratur, 5
Nee miser aera paro clade, Corinthe, tua.
7 12. Ill-starred Prometheus ! how little deftly didst thou mix
thy clay ! how crooked, how unstable, how prone to war, didst
thou make the souls of men !
O prima infelix fingenti terra Prometheo !
Ille parum caute pectoris egit opus.
Corpora disponens mentem non vidit in arte :
Recta animi primum debuit esse via. 10
Nunc maris in tantum vento iactamur, et hostem
Quaerimus, atque armis nectimus arma nova.
13 18. Yet shall we carry nought to Acheron: rich and poor,
captive and captor, will be mingled in the shades together.
Haud ullas portabis opes Acherontis ad undas,
Nudus at inferna, stulte, vehere rate.
2. Slant the MSS. Hertz. Muller Sat from Livineius, Bae.
3. tamen NO tantum Lach. tale Bae. (scil. ' ut bella cupiam ').
4. gemina N. 6. miser O mixta liae. aere N ire O. 7.
frangentiTS. 8. caute NO cauti Z llcrtz. Paley, Mueller.
13. Haut N Haud O. 14. ail infernos . . , rates NO ab
inferna rate Per. Z at inferna rate Schraeder, Hertz. Bae. ad
infernos conj. Palm, who also suggests in inferna rate.
PROPERTIUS, III. 5., 15-32. 69
Victor cum victis pariter miscebitur umbris : 1 5
Consule cum Mario, capte lugurtha, sedes.
Lydus Dulichio non distat Croesus ab Iro;
Optima mors, acta quae venit apta die.
19 22. Be it mine, while youth shall last, to court the Muses
and the wine- cup ;
Me iuvat in prima coluisse Helicona iuventa,
Musarumque choris inplicuisse manus : 20
Me iuvat et multo mentem vincire Lyaeo,
Et caput in verna semper habere rosa.
23 46. In age, to search out Nature, and to scan the ways of
Moon and Storm, of Earthquake, Star, and Sea : what
comes after Death, or whether there be an After.
Atque ubi iam Venerem gravis interceperit aetas,
Sparserit et nigras alba senecta comas,
Turn mihi naturae libeat perdiscere mores: 25
Quis deus hanc mundi temperet arte domum ;
Qua venit exoriens, qua deficit, unde coactis
Cornibus in plenum menstrua luna redit ;
Unde salo superant venti, quid flamine captet
Eurus, et in nubes unde perennis aqua ; 30
Sit ventura dies, mundi quae subruat arces;
Purpureus pluvias cur bibit arcus aquas;
15. miscebimur Z Palm, suggests Victor cum victis pariter
tniscebimur umbrae Lach. reads Indis for umbris. 18. parca NO
(/ar/aF 1 ) Hertz. Palm, tarda Guy propera Heinsius carpta Bae.
Parcac conj. Lach. I read acta, believing the acta of N" has got out
of place. apta O Bae. acta N Muel. Palm. See note on
whole line. 20. corisT?. 21. iuvat DV iuvct NF vincire O
fulcire Bae. 24. Sparserit et integras N Sparserit et nigras Z
Sparserit integras DVPer. Sparsit et integras F. 30. perennis
DV Hertz, etc. perhennis N perhemnis F peremnis Per. Bae.
Palm. conj. perennct. 31. arces NV a Palm. etc. arcem O Bae.
70 PROPERTIUS, III. 5., 33-48.
Aut cur Perrhaebi tremuere cacumina Pindi,
Solis et atratis luxerit orbis equis ;
Cur serus versare boves et plaustra Bootes, 35
Pleiadum spisso cur coit igne chorus;
Curve suos fines altum non exeat aequor,
Plenus et in partes quattuor annus eat ;
Sub terris sint iura deum et tormenta nocentum,
Tisiphones atro si furit angue caput ; 40
Aut Alcmaeoniae furiae aut ieiunia Phinei,
Num rota, num scopuli, num sitis inter aquas ;
Num tribus infernum custodit faucibus antrum
Cerberus, et Tityo iugera pauca novem;
An ficta in miseras descendit fabula gentes, 45
Et timor baud ultra quam rogus esse potest.
47 48. But do ye, that love arms, bring back the standards of
Crassus !
Exitus hie vitae superet mihi : vos, quibus arma
Grata magis, Crassi signa referte domum.
III. 7-
14. Ah ! Gold, what havoc dost thou work in the heart and
life of man !
Ergo sollicitae tu causa, pecunia, vitae es!
Per te immaturum mortis adimus iter.
34. atratis N edd. attractis O actractis Per. aura/is F s .
35. seros N Palm, approves segnis of Per. comparing luv. 5. 23.
36. choit F imbre Heinsius. 39. gigantum FV Per. N has a
blank : Palm, adopts Haupt's conj. nocentum. 42, 43. N has
Non for Num. 44. pauca NO Bae. conj. operta Palm, now
prefers pressa, see n. 46. haul N aut O. 47. superest O.
III. 7- The parts of this poem have been variously transposed. See
Bae. Palm, thinks with him that 11. 21, 22 should be placed after 38.
R. Ellis is doubtless right in holding 23, 24 to be spurious. 1. es
DVF- edd. : omitted by NF.
PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 1-20. 71
Tu vitiis hominum crudelia pabula praebes :
Semina curarum de capita orta tuo.
512. ""Tis thou hast whelmed Patus in the deep ! Far of he
lies, so young, where no mother can tend his remains, with
the wide Carpathian for a tomb!
Tu Paetum ad Pharios tendentem lintea portus 5
Obruis insano terque quaterque mari.
Nam dum te sequitur, primo miser excidit aevo,
Et nova longinquis piscibus esca natat ;
Et mater non iusta piae dare debita terrae,
Nee pote cognates inter humare rogos, 10
Sed tua nunc volucres astant super ossa marinae,
Nunc tibi pro tumulo Carpathium omne mare est.
13 18. What spoils hadst thou here to gain, cruel Aquilo ? O
Neptune, why wreck the innocent ? These waters have no
Gods to hear thee, P<ztus.
Infelix Aquilo, raptae timor Orithyiae,
Quae spolia ex illo tanta fuere tibi ?
Aut quidnam fracta gaudes, Neptune, carina ? 15
Portabat sanctos alveus ille viros.
Paete, quid aetatem numeras? quid cara natanti
Mater in ore tibi est ? non habet unda deos.
1924. In the dark storm the cable parted and thou wast lost:
even so was lost Argynnus, dear to Agamemnon.
Nam tibi nocturnis ad saxa ligata procellis
Omnia detrito vincula fune cadunt.
5. petum FN poetum VD, throughout. 11. astant N.
18. tibi in ore est N non pavet unda deos Burmann.
72 PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 2. -36.
Sunt Agamemnonias testantia litora curas,
Qua natat Argynnus poena minantis aquae.
[Hoc iuvene amisso classem non solvit Atrides,
Pro qua mactata est Iphigenia mora.]
25 28. O Waves, give up his body ! be his sepulchre a warning
to the brave !
Reddite corpus humo, posita est in gurgite vita: 25
Paetum sponte tua, vilis arena, tegas ;
Et quotiens Paeti transibit nauta sepulcrum,
Dicat : ' Et audaci tu timor esse potes/
2936. Out upon you. ye that build ships! ye do but open up
new paths of death, and labour for the -winds !
Ite, rates curvas et leti texite causas :
Ista per humanas mors venit acta manus. 30
Terra parum fuerat : fatis adiecimus undas :
Fortunae miseras auximus arte vias.
Ancora te teneat, quem non tenuere Penates?
Quid meritum dicas, cui sua terra parum est ?
Ventorum est, quodcumque paras : haud ulla
carina 35
Consenuit, fallit portus et ipse fidem.
22. Qua N Quae V Per. Hertz. Palm. notat NO natat F 2
nota Z Agynni N argynni V 2 arginni F argivum DV
argynnus conj. Waardenb. (see Bae.) poena minantis aquae NO
natantis aquae V 1 Per. poena minacis aquae Lach 1 . Athaniaiitiadae
Hertz. Muel. poenam inhiantis aquae Bae. poena Mi mantis aquae
(or aquas} R. Ellis. I have ventured on the reading of the text.
See explanatory note. 23. Hoc NVF 3 Nee O Hie Lach. 25.
posita est N positaque O Hertz, positumque in gurgitis ora Bae.
posit unique in gurgite, venti Lach 1 . 20. Most MSS. have harena.
29. Ire N curvas Passerat. curvae NO curvae leti contexite Per.
curvate W.T. Lendrum teriteTS. 35. haudO /iautN.
PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 37-52. 73
37 42. The sea is but nature s snare for greed : witness Ulysses
and the Argive host.
Natura insidians pontum substravit avaris:
Ut tibi succedat vix semel esse potest.
Saxa triumphales fregere Capharea puppes,
Naufraga cum vasto Graecia tracta salo est : 40
Paullatim socium iacturam flevit Ulixes,
In mare cui solum non valuere doli.
43 SO. Had Patus heeded me, he had been living now ; foor,
but honoured, in his own home, with no storm to vex him,
and all comfort round him.
Quod si contentus patrios bove verteret agros,
Verbaque duxisset pondus habere mea,
Viveret ante suos dulcis conviva Penates, 45
Pauper, at in terra, nil ubi flare potest.
Non tulit hie Paetus stridorem audire procellae,
Et duro teneras laedere fune manus,
Sed Thyio thalamo aut Oricia terebintho
Effultum pluma versicolore caput. 50
5154. But now he lies engulfed in -water, a mangled corpse.
Huic fluctus vivo radicitus abstulit ungues,
Et miser invisam traxit hiatus aquam ;
37. insidians N Palm. Bae. etc. insidias Z Hertz. 41. Paula-
tim O Palantum Heinsius, Bae. 42. soli NO solid Lipsius,
Hertz, solum Z. 43. O si Lach. contentos DP patrio the
MSS patrios Heinsius. 46. ubi N nisi O fare Heinsius (?)
flere NO Per. See Palmer's n. nil nisifieret opes Bae. fiere sat est
Post. 47. hie Z hoc F hunc DV haec N. 49. chio the
MSS. thyio Hertz. 5O. Most MSS. have Et fultum ; Effultum
Hertz. Palm, suggests Est fultum. 51. Perhaps vivos should be
read. 52. miser NO invisam NF 2 ^ invitam Per. miseri Palm.
74 PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 53-72.
Hunc parvo ferri vidit nox improba ligno :
Paetus ut occideret, tot coiere mala.
5566. With his last breath he prayed: ' O ye Gods of the
JEgean, why do ye snatch from me my young life so rudely ?
waft my body to my native shore, and to my mother's
care ! '
Flens tamen extremis dedit haec mandata que-
rellis, 55
Cum moribunda niger clauderet ora liquor:
' Di maris Aegaei quos sunt penes aequora, Venti,
Et quaecumque meum degravat unda caput,
Quo rapitis miseros primae lanuginis annos?
Attulimus longas in freta vestra manus. 60
Ah miser alcyonum scopulis adfligar acutis :
In me caeruleo fuscina sumpta deo est.
At saltern Italiae regionibus evehat aestus :
Hoc de me sat erit si modo matris erit.'
Subtrahit haec fantem torta vertigine fluctus : 65
Ultima quae Paeto voxque diesque fuit.
6772. hundred daughters of Nercus ! Thetis with thy
mothers heart ! why did ye not put out a hand to save ?
Never shalt thou see sail of mine, cruel Aquilo !
O centum aequoreae Nereo genitore puellae,
Et tu materno tacta dolore Thetis,
Vos decuit lasso subponere brachia mento : .
Non poterat vestras ille gravare manus. 70
55. querelis O. 57. Di N Dii O. 60. longas the MSS.
castas, puras, lotas, sanctas have been conj. But Palm, remarks that
length is characteristic of a youth's hands. 63. advehat Per. 66.
voxque N noxqtie O Per. 68. tacta V 2 tracta O fracta Heinsius.
PROPERTIUS, III. ii., 1-14. 75
At tu, saeve Aquilo, numquam mea vela videbis :
Ante fores dominae condar oportet iners.
III. ii.
1 8. What marvel that a woman sways my life? Hear
thoufrom me, -who know, of womarts power.
Quid mirare, meam si versat femina vitam,
Et trahit addictum sub sua iura virum,
Criminaque ignavi capitis mihi turpia fingis,
Quod nequeam fracto rumpere vincla iugo ?
Venturam melius praesagit navita mortem, i
Vulneribus didicit miles habere metum.
Ista ego praeterita iactavi verba iuventa :
Tu nunc exemplo disce timere meo.
9 28. Who knows not of the marvels wrought by Medea? of
the valour and loveliness of Penthesilea ? how Omphale
tamed the tamer ? how Semiramis built Babylon, took
Bactra, and turned the Euphrates ? how Jupiter himself
has fallen before woman ?
Colchis flagrantis adamantina sub iuga tauros
Egit, et armigera praelia sevit humo, n
Custodisque feros clausit serpentis hiatus,
Iret ut Aesonias aurea lana domos.
Ausa ferox ab equo quondam obpugnare sagittis
Maeotis Danaum Penthesilea rates;
5. Venturam the MSS. Palm, adopts the conj. lactura mortem
NO noctem F etc. Lach. Hertz, molem R. Ellis. 9. flagrantis
(ace.) so N. The Aid. and some MSS. hwejlagranteis. 10.
saevit D. 13. obpugnare N oppugnare O Per. 14. Meotis
NF 2 Hertz, iniectis 6 Per. Bae.
76 PROPERTIUS, HI. Ji., 15-32.
Aurea cui postquam nudavit cassida frontem, 15
Vicit victorem Candida forma virum.
Omphale in tantum formae processit honorem,
Lydia Gygaeo tincta puella lacu,
Ut, qui pacato statuisset in orbe columnas,
Tarn dura traheret mollia pensa manu. 20
Persarum statuit Babylona Semiramis urbem,
Ut solidum cocto tolleret aggere opus,
Et duo in adversum missi per moenia currus
Ne possent tacto stringere ab axe latus;
Duxit et Euphratem medium, qua condidit arces, 25
lussit et imperio surgere Bactra caput.
Nam quid ego heroas, quid raptem in crimine
divos ?
luppiter infamat seque suamque domum.
29 38. And what of her, our shame, that late asked for our
City and our Senate as a lover's present, and from the shore
where Pompey fell, stamped eternal infamy on Rome ?
Quid, modo quae nostris opprobria vexerit armis,
Et famulos inter femina trita suos? 30
Coniugii obscaeni pretium Romana poposcit
Moenia, et addictos in sua regna patres.
15. cui NF 2 V qui O quoi Bae. 17. Omphale ITV Per.
Hertz Omphaliae D Palm. conj. lardanis (Omphale was dau.
of lardanus) believing Omphale to be a gloss, and cps. Ov. Her.
9. 103, pointing out that Prop, was fond of female patronymics,
as lasts, Tyndaris, Tantalis, Minois, Inachis, etc. He further
remarks that such an hiatus as Omphctl? in is unexampled in
Prop, and that the scribe of N probably pronounced Omphale : q. v.
see notes. 23. dno ( = domino) N missi N Hertz, misit Z
int missi Dousa Palm adopts Tyrrell's attractive conj. mitti. 24.
Nee NF Palm. Ne the rest. 25. qua NF* quam O Bae.
arcis Bae. 27. crimine NO crimina V a Bae. 29. obprobria N
vexerit N vexerat Z Hertz. Bae. 31. coniagis NO Hertz.
(oniugii Passerat, Bae. Palm. etc.
PROPERTIUS, III. II., 33-50. 77
Noxia Alexandria, dolis aptissima tellus,
Et totiens nostro, Memphi, cruenta malo,
Tres ubi Pompeio detraxit arena triumphos ! 35
Toilet nulla dies hanc tibi, Roma, notam.
Issent Phlegraeo melius tibi funera campo,
Vel tua si socero colla daturus eras.
-46. For she, for sooth, she the foul Queen of Egypt -would
fain have set up Anubis against Jiippiter, have silenced the
Roman trumpet with the rattle, have paraded her luxury,
and dealt" forth her laws, among the arms of Marius!
Scilicet incesti meretrix regina Canopi,
Una Philippeo sanguine adusta nota, 40
Ausa lovi nostro latrantem opponere Anubim,
Et Tiberim Nili cogere ferre minas,
Romanamque tubam crepitanti pellere sistro,
Baridos et contis rostra Liburna sequi,
Foedaque Tarpeio conopia tendere saxo, 45
lura dare et statuas inter et arma Mari !
47 58. Why was Tarquin driven forth, if a woman was to
rule ? Give Augustus all thy thanks, Rome, that she that
had scared otir city was hunted to the Nile, enchained, and
done to death.
Quid nunc Tarquinii fractas iuvat esse secures,
Nomine quern simili vita superba notat,
Si mulier patienda fuit ? Cape, Roma, triumphum,
Et longum Augusto salva precare diem. 50
35. arena FV 2 harena W (as generally). 45. canopeia NO
canopia V 2 . 46. dare N Per. dare et Z Hertz, etc. dare; Palm,
with interrogation at end of line. 48. quae N.
78 PROPERTIUS, III. ii., 5 , -72.
Fugisti tamen in timidi vaga flumina Nili:
Accepere tuae Romula vincla manus.
Brachia spectavit sacris admorsa colubris,
Et trahere occultum membra soporis iter. '
'Non hoc, Roma, fui tanto tibi cive verenda,' 55
Dixit, ' et assiduo lingua sepulta mero.'
Septum urbs alta iugis, toto quae praesidet orbi,
Femineas timuit territa Marte minas.
59 66. What now of the Scipios, of Camillas? of Pompey?
what of our victories over Syphax, Hannibal, and Pyrrhus ?
what of Curtius, of Cocks, or of Corvus ?
Nunc ubi Scipiadae classes ? ubi signa Camilli ?
Aut modo Pompeia, Bosphore, capta manu ? 60
Hannibalis spolia et victi monimenta Syphacis,
^t Pyrrhi ad nostros gloria fracta pedes?
Curtius expletis statuit monimenta lacunis,
At Decius misso praelia rupit equo;
Coclitis abscisses testatur semita pontes, 65
Est cui cognomen corvus habere dedit.
67 72. With Ccesar safe, Rome has none to fear, nay, scarce
Jove himself: Apollo will tell of Aftium, and thou, sailor,
of the peaceful seas.
Haec di condiderunt, haec di quoque moenia servant :
Vix timeat, salvo Caesare, Roma lovem.
51. vaga DV vada NF. 53. spectavit Per. spectavi other
MSS. and edd. 55. fuit NO fui Z. 56. Dixit et O Et
duds D Heinsius. 57. toto N Per. Hertz, etc. 58. Omitted
by N. In Per. Marte is om. : Palm, suspects that the word was
wanting in the archetype, and suggests turpe. 59, 60. This
couplet is placed in the MSS. after 1. 68. Pass, pointed out that its
proper place is after 1. 58. So Palm. The lines have been variously
placed. 62. monimenta so N, as elsewhere. 63. Curius NV.
64. At Decius misso N Hertz. Admisso Decius Seal. Palm. 66.
Est Broukh, edd. Et NO Per. 67. dii . . . dii NO, as elsewhere
condiderant O.
PROPERTIUS, in. 1 8., i-.6. 79
Leucadius versas acies memorabit Apollo;
Tantum operis belli sustulit una dies. 70
At tu, sive petes portus seu, navita, linques,
Caesaris in toto sis memor lonio.
III. 18.
1 1O. Near dark Avernus and the warm pools of Bai<z, where '
Misenus lies and where clanged the cymbals of Hercules
in that ill spot he lay low his head.
Clausus ab umbroso qua alludit pontus Averno
Fumida Baiarum stagna tepentis aquae,
Qua iacet et Troiae tubicen Misenus arena,
Et sonat Herculeo structa labore via,
Hie, ubi, mortales dextra cum quaereret urbes, 5
Cymbala Thebano concrepuere deo :
At nunc, invisae magno cum crimine Baiae,
Quis deus in vestra constitit hostis aqua?
His pressus Stygias vultum demisit in undas,
Errat et in vestro spiritus ille lacu. 10
11 16. What availed his race, his worth, his father 's name,
his mother's help ? Just twenty years his life had run.
Quid genus aut virtus aut optima profuit illi
Mater, et amplexum Caesaris esse focos?
Aut modo tarn pleno fluitantia vela theatre,
Et per maternas omnia gesta manus?
Occidit, et misero steterat vigesimus annus : 1 5
Tot bona tarn parvo clausit in orbe dies.
1. hidit NO Per. alludit Lambinus, edd. ttmdit Bae.
Fumida Scaliger, edd. Humida O. 5. mortales N m
2.
, _. _ _. mortalis O
dextra DV dexter NF. 8. orfra F. 10. nostro F. 15.
ut Heinsius for et. 16. quam parvo Heinsius.
80 PROPERTIUS, III. 1 8., 17-34.
17 24. Go to! dream thou of triumphs, pile up thy gauds!
that ill path must be trod, that fatal ferry must be passed,
by first and last alike.
I mine, tolle animos, et tecum finge triumphos,
Stantiaque in plausum tota theatra iuvent;
Attalicas supera_ vestes, atque omnia magnis
Gemmea sint ludis : ignibus ista dabis. 20
Hoc manet, hoc omnes, hue primus et ultimus
ordo:
Est mala, sed cunctis ista terenda via est ;
Exoranda canis tria sunt latrantia colla,
Scandenda est torvi publica cymba senis.
25 3O. Not arms can guard from death, not fair face or strong
arm, not all the gold of Pactolus.
Ille licet ferro cautus se condat et acre : 25
Mors tamen inclusum protrahit inde caput.
Nirea non facies, non vis exemit Achillem,
Croesum aut Pactoli quas parit humor opes.
Hie olim ignaros luctus populavit Achivos,
Atridae magno cum stetit alter amor. 30
31 34. Grant only, ferryman, that by the same road over which
Claudius and Casar passed, his spirit may pass to the stars.
At tibi, nauta pias hominum qui traicit umbras,
Hue animae portet corpus inane tuae,
18. tcatraH 1 . 19. sztpra'S. 20. .re'tt/NV 2 siint O. 21. Sed
tamen hoc omnes hue NO hoc omnes hie primus Per. hoc omnes hoc
Lach. Bae. (i. e. ' facimus' or ' erunt ') hue omnes hue Hertz, edd.
Palm, makes the excellent suggestion Sed manet hoc. I adopt manet,
and read Hoc for Sed, see notes. 22. tencnda F 1 . 24. tract's
torti O. 29, 30 Bae. thinks out of place, and suspects they should
be placed after 1. 8. He places a lacuna after them, as well as after
1. 31. 30. altus Lach. 31. At tu Burmann traicis NO Per.
Hertz. Bae. etc. traicit Palmer, who attributes the mistake to the
transcriber's not seeing that tibi and nauta refer to different persons
(Marcellus and Charon). 32. Hue N Hertz, etc. Hoc Lach.
PROPERTIUS, III. 22., 1-14. 8 i
Qua Siculae victor telluris Claudius et qua
Caesar ab humana cessit in astra via.
III. 22.
1 4. How is it, Tullus, that thoti hast so long been charmed
by Cyzicus and the Propontis ?
Frigida tarn multos placuit tibi Cyzicus annos,
Tulle, Propontiaca qua fluit Isthmos aqua,
Dindymus et sacra fabricata e vite Cybelle,
Raptorisque tulit qua via Ditis equos ?
5 18. If thou cares t more for travel than for thy friends,
know thou that all the sights and marvels of all lands, from
West to East, are outdone by those of thine own Italy,
Si te forte iuvant Helles Athamantidos urbes, 5
Nee desiderio, Tulle, movere meo,
Tu licet aspicias caelum omne Atlanta gerentem,
Sectaque Persea Phorcidos ora manu,
Geryonis stabula, et luctantum in pulvere signa
Herculis Antaeique, Hesperidumque chores: 10
Tuque tuo Colchum propellas remige Phasim,
Peliacaeque trabis totum iter ipse* legas,
Qua rudis Argoa natat inter saxa columba
In faciem prorae pinus adacta novae:
Mueller hoc Guy, Palm. portent N Hertz, etc. portet Palmer
tuae N Hertz, suae Lach. Palmer, etc.
1. annus O. 2. qua DV quae NF. 3. Dindymus
NO edd. Dindymis Palm. sacra fabricata iuventa O (inventa
N) Cybelle DV Bae. Cybille F Cibile N sacrae fabricata iu-
venca Cybebae Vossius e vite Haupt. Bae Dindyma sacra Rheac,
et fabricata iuvenca Cybelae Hertz. 5. Si O Sic Bae. iuvat NF.
6. Nee Z Et O. 9. Geryonis DV Girionis M" Geryonae
edd. 13. argoa NF^V 2 argea O Hons.
82 PROPERTIUS, III. 22., 15-32.
Et si qua Ortygiae visenda est ora Caystri, 15
Et quae septenas temperat unda vias,
Omnia Romanae cedent miracula terrae:
Natura hie posuit, quidquid ubique fuit.
19 38. A truly famous land! a land ever victorious, ever
merciful ; full affair lakes and streams ; where no savage
or loathsome beasts, no hideous crimes, no cruel wrongs are
Armis apta magis tellus quam commoda hoxae,
Famam, Roma, tuae non pudet historiae : 20
Nam quantum ferro tantum pietate potentes
Stamus : victrices temperat ira manus.
Hie Anio Tiburne fluis, Clitumnus ab Umbro
Tramite, et aeternum Marcius humor opus,
/vlbanus lacus et socii Nemorensis ab unda, 25
Potaque Pollucis lympha salubris equo.
At non squamoso labuntur ventre cerastae,
Itala portends nee fluit unda novis,
Non hie Andromedae resonant pro matre catenae,
Nee tremis Ausonias, Phoebe fugate, dapes, 30
Nee cuiquam absentes arserunt in caput ignes
Exitium nato matre movente suo,
15. Corrupt. N and Per. have Et si qua origae. Lach. and Hertz,
give Et si qua Ortygiae. Scaliger conj. Et si quadrigae. Bae. has
Aut si quadriga et. Si quave olorigeri is in the marg. of the Aldine
Ven. 1700. Et qua Gygaei others. Palmer conj. Et si quoi rigui.
18. fuit NO nitet Heinsius viget Bae. 22. ira NO ilia Z Bae.
23. Tirburne flues N fluis Z. 25. Albanus locus et N
abunda N. Hertz, and Palm, read Albanusque lacus and et unda.
26. nympha O lympha Z. 27. nunc N labuntur N lam-
buntur O. 28. fuit una N furit or fluit Z unda or ora Z.
PROPERTIUS, III. 22., 33-42- 3
Penthea non saevae venantur in arbore Bacchae,
Nee solvit Danaas subdita cerva rates,
Cornua nee valuit curvare in pellice luno, 35
Aut faciem turpi dedecorare bove,
Arboreasve cruces Sinis, et non hospita Grais
Saxa, et curvatas in sua fata trabes.
42. Here, Tullus, is thy true abode: here seek a life of
honour and a home.
Haec tibi, Tulle, parens, haec est pulcherrima
sedes,
Hie tibi pro digna gente petendus honos, 40
Hie tibi ad eloquium cives, hie ampla nepotum
Spes et venturae coniugis aplus amor.
35. pelice N pellice O. 36. Aut O Ac Bae. 37. senis
ON 1 cinis N 2 Grais so M"O Per. 41. For cives Z have cursus
via fert Heinsius vires Burtnann. nepotum NO penatum Bae.
PRO PERT I US, IV. 3.
1 6. This message Arethusa sends to her own Lycotas: if
aught be wanting to it, it has been blotted by her tears.
HAEC Arethusa suo mittit mandata Lycotae,
Cum totiens absis si potes esse meus.
Si qua tamen tibi lecture pars oblita deerit,
Haec erit e lacrimis facta litura meis :
Ac si qua incerto fallet te littera tractu,
Signa meae dextrae iam morientis erunt.
7 1O. All nations have seen thee: the Bactrian and Sarma-
tian, the Briton and the Indian.
Te modo viderunt iterates Bactra per ortus,
Te modo munito Neuricus hostis equo,
Hibernique Getae, pictoque Britannia curru,
Ustus et Eoa decolor Indus aqua.
11 14. Is this thy plighted troth ? Surely I wedded under some
evil omen, and with no Cod to bless.
Haecne marita fides, et sic pactae mihi noctes,
Cum rudis urgenti brachia victa dedi?
Quae mihi deductae fax omen praetulit, ilia
Traxit ab everso lumina nigra rogo.
1. Haec om. by NF Aretusa DV Per. Haretusa F Hare-
thusa N. 5. Aut (or Et ?) N Ac D Et F Per. 8. munitus
hericus N hernicus D Neuricus lacob. ; others Sericus, Noricus,
etc. 10. Ustus O Postus Bae. discolor NO Per. decolor
Passerat, Bae. Palmer. Munro reads Eoae decolor . . aquae. See
notes. \\.etparceavia1S el pacate mihi F hae stint fac lac
mihi DV sic pactae mihi Paley pactae iam mihi Per. Palmer.
See IIous., J. of Phil. xxi. p. 148.
PROPERTIUS, IV. 3., 1-34. 5
15 22. Thou art now four years away: perish he that first
fashioned trees into palisades, and forged the trump of war!
Et Stygio sum sparsa lacu, nee recta capillis 15
Vitta data est, nupsi non comitante deo.
Omnibus heu portis pendent mea noxia vota:
Texitur haec castris quarta lacerna tuis.
Occidat, inmerita qui carpsit ab arbore vallum,
Et struxit querulas rauca per ossa tubas, 20
Dignior obliquo funem qui torqueat Ocno,
Aeternusque tuam pascat, aselle, famem.
23 28. Art thou worn and wasted? I pray it may be for love
of me!
Die mihi, num teneros urit lorica lacertos?
Num gravis imbelles atterit hasta manus?
Diceris et macie vultum tenuasse : sed opto, 2 7
E desiderio sit color iste meo.
29 42. When night comes, I kiss thy arms, I toss restless on
my bed : I ply my winter task, or learn where flows the
Araxes, what parts are scorched with heat or numb with
cold, what wind will waft thee back to Italy.
At -fnihi cum noctes induxit Vesper amaras,
Si qua relicta iacent, osculor arma tua. 30
Turn queror in toto non sidere pallia lecto,
Lucis et auctores non dare carmen aves.
Noctibus hibernis castrensia pensa laboro
Et Tyria in radios vellera secta suos.
16. Vitta N Vita O. 23. dum NO num V. 34.
gladios NO Per. radios Z.
86 PROPERTIUS, IV. 3., 35-52.
Et disco, qua parte fluat vincendus Araxes, 35
Quot sine aqua Parthus milia currat equus.
Cogor et e tabula pictos ediscere mundos,
Qualis et haec docti sit positura dei,
Quae tellus sit lenta gelu, quae putris ab aestu,
Ventus in Italiam qui bene vela ferat. 40
Assidet una soror, curis et pallida nutrix
Peierat hiberni temporis esse moras.
43 SO. O that I could bear arms like Hippolyte, and follow
thee over Scythids snows! no love can match the love of
a true wedded wife.
Felix Hippolyte ! nuda tulit arma papilla,
Et texit galea barbara molle caput.
Romanis utinam patuissent castra puellis! 45
Essem militiae sarcina fida tuae,
Nee me tardarent Scythiae iuga, cum Pater altas
Africus in glaciem frigore nectit aquas.
Omnis amor magnus, sed aperto in coniuge maior:
Hanc Venus, ut vivat, ventilat ipsa facem. 50
51 62. What help are my purples or my gems? All is dumb
and dead. I scarce pray to the Lares : I have but my
Clauds' voice to comfort me. If the owl cry, if the lamp
sputter, I sacrifice for thy return.
Nam mihi quo Poenis si purpura fulgeat ostris,
Crystallusque meas ornet aquosa manus ?
36. Quod N equs N. 37. Cogor NO Conor Broukh. Hertz.
48. Africus O Affricus N Per. Aprico Hertz. Aeris (Bae.)
Aeolus, Arctoo (Lach.), Tetricus, Aetheris (Mueller), Arcticus (R.
Ellis), have been proposed. 51. tt N tibi O si Heinsitis. nova
(or ter) Palm. Nam mihi quo ? Poenis tibi Lach. Bae. Muell.
52. meas N tuas O Bae. Hous. conj. mine for si in 51, with meas
in 52. See J. of Phil. xxi. p. 129.
PROPERTIUS, IV. 3., 53-72. 87
Omnia surda tacent, rarisque adsueta kalendis
Vix aperit clauses una puella Lares.
Glaucidos et catulae vox est mihi grata que-
rentis : 55
Ilia tui partem vindicat una toro.
Flore sacella tego, verbenis compita velo,
Et crepat ad veteres herba Sabina focos.
Sive in finitimo gemuit stans noctua tigno,
Seu voluit tangi parca lucerna mero, 60
Ilia dies hornis caedem denuntiat agnis,
Succinctique calent ad nova lucra popae.
63 72. Ah, think not of glory but return! Come back to me
victorious and true .' and let thine arms, hung up at the
city gate, tell of a wife's gladness for the safety of her lord.
Ne, precor, ascensis tanti sit gloria Bactris,
Raptave odorato carbasa lina duci,
Plumbea cum tortae sparguntur pondera fundae, 65
Subdolus et versis increpat arcus equis.
Sed, tua sic domitis Parthae telluris alumnis
Pura triumphantis hasta sequatur equos,
Incorrupta mei conserva foedera lecti :
-Hac ego te sola lege redisse velim. 70
Armaque cum tulero portae votiva Capenae,
Subscribam : ' Salvo grata puella viro.'
54. laros N. 59. finitimo NF'V 3 furtivo O. 61. amis
NF. 62. Succincteque NO. 64. carbasa lina the MSS.
Palmer holds lina to be a gloss, and that Prop, wrote picta. 68.
triumphantis (ace.) so N and other MSS.
88 PROPERTIUS, IV. 4., 1-18.
IV. 4.
1 2. I will tell the tale of Tarpeia and the Tarpeian
rock.
Tarpeium nemus et Tarpeiae turpe sepulcrum
Fabor et antiqui limina capta lovis.
\ 18. Hard by a fountain, dark with cave and wood, King
Tatius lay encamped ; here drank the horses, here Tarpeia
filled her pitcher for Vesta's service.
Lucus erat felix hederoso consitus antro,
Multaque nativis obstrepit arbor aquis:
Silvani ramosa domus, quo dulcis ab aestu 5
Fistula poturas ire iubebat oves.
Hunc Tatius fontem vallo praecingit acerno,
Fidaque suggesta castra coronal humo.
Quid turn Roma fuit, tubicen vicina Curetis
Cum quateret lento murmure saxa lovis ? 10
Atque ubi nunc terris dicuntur iura subactis,
Stabant Romano pila Sabina foro.
Murus erant montes : ubi nunc est curia saepta,
Bellicus ex illo fonte bibebat equus.
Hinc Tarpeia deae fontem libavit: at illi 15
Urgebat medium fictilis urna caput.
Et satis una malae potuit mors esse puellae,
Quae voluit flammas fallere, Vesta, tuas?
1. tarpelae MT. 3-14. Bae. transposes these lines thus; 7-10 ;
13, 14; ii, 12; 3-6. 3. conditusTSO consitus Z concavus Bae.
7. fontem O montem Heinsius, Bae. 9. Curitis ( = Qui-
ritis} Bae. 10. saxa NF ;2 V 2 facta O. 12. foro F 2 V foco
NO. 15. Hinc O hie Z Bae. tarpela N. ' 17. itna the
MSS. urna Lach 1 . Hertz. Lach 1 . reads Ei, scelus ! urna.
PROPERTIUS, IV. 4., 19-38. y
19 28. She saw King Tatius, she loved: now for this cause,
now for that, she was ever descending to the fount.
Vidit arenosis Tatium proludere campis,
Pictaque per flavas frena levare iubas. 20
Obstupuit regis facie et regalibus armis,
Interque oblitas excidit urna raanus.
Saepe ilia immeritae causata est omina lunae,
Et sibi tinguendas dixit in amne comas;
Saepe tulit blandis argentea lilia Nymphis, 25
Romula ne faciem laederet hasta Tati.
Dumque subit primo Capitolia nubila fumo,
Rettulit hirsutis brachia secta rubis;
29 46. Then prayed she -with tears that she might become, a
captive in the Sabine court, deserting her father, her
country, and the goddess whom she served.
Et sua Tarpeia residens ita flevit ab arce
Vulnera, vicino non patienda lovi : 30
' Ignes castrorum, et Tatiae praetoria turmae,
Et formosa oculis arma Sabina meis,
O utinam ad vestros sedeam captiva Penates,
Dum captiva mei conspicer ora Tati.
Romani montes et montibus addita Roma 35
Et valeat probro Vesta pudenda meo.
Ille equus, ille meos in castra reponet amores,
Cui Tatius dextras collocat ipse iubas.
20. frena the happy conj. of Palm, see notes. arma NO aera.
Heinsius, Bae., others ora. 23. omina NV 3 omnia O. 24. tin-
guendas N tingendas the rest, Bae. etc. 28. bracchia O brachia TS.
30. non patienda NV 2 Hertz, etc. compatienda O Per. comperienda
Bae. 34. arma V 2 Hertz, etc. esse NO ora Gronov., which may
l>e right as er precedes. 37. reponet NO reportet Hertz. Bae.
90 PROPERTIUS, IV. 4., 39-56.
Quid minim in patrios Scyllam saevisse capillos,
Candidaque in saevos inguina versa canes ? 40
Prodita quid mirum fraterni cornua monstri,
Cum patuit lecto stamine torta via?
Quantum ego sum Ausoniis crimen factura puellis,
Improba virgineo lecta ministra foco !
Pallados extinctos si quis mirabitur ignes, 45
Ignoscat : lacrimis spargitur ara meis.
47 66. ' To-morrow there will be a feast? she said; 'follow
thou the silent slippery path : then take me to wife, with
Rome betrayed for my dowry : so shall the Sabine maidens
be avenged.'
^Cras, ut rumor ait, tota cessabitur urbe :
Tu cape spinosi rorida terga iugi.
Lubrica tota via est et perfida : quippe tacentes
Fallaci celat limite semper aquas. 50
O utinam magicae nossem cantamina Musae!
Hanc quoque formoso lingua tulisset opem.
Te toga picta decet, non quern sine matris honore
Nutrit inhumanae dura papilla lupae.
Sic, hospes, pariamne tua regina sub aula? 55
Dos tibi non humilis prodita Roma venit.
40. foedos Heinsius, Bae. 47. pugnabitur NO Per. Hertz, etc.
cessabitur is the excellent conj. of Palmer, who points out that the
phrase tota in urbepugnari is absurd in itself, and that the day follow-
ing was to be a feast-day. On the other hand ut rumor ait scarcely
applies to a festival fixed for the morrow ; and 1. 81 presents the idea
of taking advantage of the holiday as a new one. Palm, now prefers
potabitiir, C. R. ii. p. 39. 50. Palm, proposes caespes for semper.
51. magine N magicae edd. magnae (vocative) Palm. 52.
Haec NO Hanc Bae. Others Hac (i. e. via), nunc, sic. 55. Sic
hospes NO Sim compar Bae. Die hospes ; spatiorne tuam . . .
aulam Heinsius pariamne N patiare DV patriaeve Hertz.
PROPERTIVS, IV. 4., 57-76. 91
Si minus, at raptae ne sint impune Sabinae,
Me rape, et alterna lege repende vices.
Commissas acies ego possum solvere nupta ;
Vos medium palla foedus inite mea. 60
Adde, Hymenaee, modos : tubicen, fera murmura
conde :
Credite, vestra meus molliet arma torus.
Et iam quarta canit venturam bucina lucem,
Ipsaque in Oceanum sidera lapsa cadunt;
Experiar somnum, de te mihi somnia quaeram : 65
Fac venias oculis umbra benigna meis.'
67 82. Unrestful that night she slept: on the morrow, the feast
of Pales, she sped forth in frenzy, and made the traitorous
. *"*'
Dixit, et incerto permisit brachia somno,
Nescia se furiis accubuisse novis.
Nam Vesta, Iliacae felix tutela favillae,
Culpam alit, et plures condit in ossa faces. 70
Ilia ruit, qualis celerem prope Thermodonta
Strymonis abscisso fertur aperta sinu.
Urbi festus erat dixere Parilia patres
Hie primus coepit moenibus esse dies
Annua pastorum convivia, lusus in urbe, 75
Cum pagana madent fercula divitiis,
57. ne NV Hertz, etc. non O Bae. 59, 60. solvere nupta ;
Vos so Madvig, Palm, instead of solvere : nuptae, Vos with the MSS.
and most edd. 60. medium NO media Bae. 62. thorus NF.
63. E: NO En Bae. bucina N buccina O. 64. occeamim NO.
68. nefariis NO Per. se furiis Pass. Livin. vae furiis lacobus
Hertz, etc. : but Mueller remarks that vae is not used by Prop.
72. fertur NO pectus Hertz. Bae. Hons. 73. parilia NF
pahlia Per. etc. 74. coepi N. 76. divitiis NO edd. delitiis
V <fc/
92 PROPERTIUS, IV. 4., 77-94.
Cumque super raros faeni flammantis acervos
Traicit inmundos ebria turba pedes.
Romulus excubias decrevit in otia solvi,
Atque intermissa castra silere tuba. 80
Hoc Tarpeia suum tempus rata convenit hostem ;
Pacta ligat, pactis ipsa futura comes.
83 88. The gate was betrayed : the Sabitie host poured in :
' Now take me for thy wife,' she said.
Mons erat ascensu dubius, festoque remissus :
Nee mora, vocales occupat ense canes.
Omnia praebebant somnos : sed luppiter unus 85
Decrevit poenis invigilare tuis.
Prodiderat portaeque fidem patriamque iacentem,
Nubendique petit, quern velit, ipsa diem.
8994. 'Have then thy wish' said the King, 'but take also
the dowry that is thy due ! ' And with that she fell, borne
down by the Sabine shields.
At Tatius neque enim sceleri dedit hostis hono-
rem
'Nube,' ait, 'et regni scande cubile mei.' 90
Dixit, et ingestis comitum superobruit armis.
Haec, virgo, officiis dos erat apta tuis.
A duce Tarpeio mons est cognomen adeptus:
O vigil, iniustae praemia sortis habes.
78. The MSS. have inmundas dapes. 83. remissis O and Bae.
who supposes a lacuna between festo and remissis remissos G.
85. praebebant NO carpebant Bae. praebebant somni Lach. Ju-
piter N. 88. ipsa NO Hertz. Paley ipse V 11 Bae. Mueller. 93.
Tarpeio NO Per. Hertz. Paley, etc. Abs te Tarpeius Bae. Tar-
peius or Tarpeium Palmer Tarpeia Mueller. 94. Guy conj. virgo.
t
PROPERTIUS, IV. 6., 1-16. 93
IV. 6.
1 1O. Prepare for the poefs sacrifice ! Make ready the victim
and the incense, the wreath, the altar and the sacred song!
Away with every ill word and deed !
Sacra facit vates : sint ora faventia sacris,
Et cadat ante meos icta iuvenca focos.
Cera Philetaeis certet Romana corymbis,
Et Cyrenaeas urna ministret aquas.
Costum molle date et blandi mini* turis honores, 5
Terque focum circa laneus orbis eat.
Spargite me lymphis, carmenque recentibus aris
Tibia Mygdoniis libet eburna cadis.
Ite procul fraudes, alio sint acre noxae:
Pura novum vati laurea mollit iter. 10
11 14. Df Apollo's temple, and in Casals praise, I sing.
Musa, Palatini referemus Apollinis aedem :
Res est, Calliope, digna favore tuo.
Caesaris in nomen ducuntur carmina: Caesar
Dum canitur, quaeso, luppiter ipse vaces.
15 18. There is a port sacred to Phcebus in the Ionian Sea
thai tells of Casar.
Est Phoebi fugiens Athamana ad litora portus, 15
Qua sinus loniae murmura condit aquae,
1. sunt V 2 . 2. Et cadet O En cadet Bae. Et cadat N
Hertz, etc. 3. Cera NO Hertz, etc. Serta Scaliger, Bae.
Ara Haupt. philippeis NO Philetaeis Beroaldus. 5. thuris
DV. 8. modis Per. 11. In most MSS. a new poem begins
here. 14. iupiterT&~&.
94 PROPERTIUS, IV. 6., 17-34.
Actia luleae pelagus monimenta carinae,
Nautarum votis non operosa via.
19 24. Here clashed the world in arms; on this side the foul
Queen of Egypt, on that Augustus with his country's gods.
Hue mundi coiere manus : stetit aequore moles
Pinea : nee remis aequa favebat avis. 20
Altera classis erat Teucro damnata Quirino,
Pilaque feminea turpiter acta manu:
Hinc Augusta ratis plenis lovis omine velis,
Signaque iam patriae vincere docta suae.
25 36. As the moon-shaped line passed on, Apollo, with his
torch of _ftame, alighted on Augustus' ship: not arrayed
as a minstrel he, but as when he scourged the Greek host, or
slew the Python.
Tandem acies geminos Nereus lunarat in arcus, 25
Armorum et radiis picta tremebat aqua,
Cum Phoebus linquens stantem se vindice Delon
Nam tulit iratos mobilis una Notes
Astitit Augusti puppim super, et nova flamma
Luxit in obliquam ter sinuata facem. 30
Non ille attulerat crines in colla solutos,
Aut testudineae carmen inerme lyrae,
Sed quali aspexit Pelopeum Agamemnona vultu,
Egessitque avidis Dorica castra rogis,
17. monimenta N. 19. choiere F. 22. feminea N Per. Hertz,
etc. femineae Palmer, after Markland acta DVF' 2 Per. Hertz. Bae.
etc. apta NFV. 23. Hie V angusta rates N. 25. nereus Z
nervis NO lunarat F limarat NDV 1 . 26. picta O
Hertz, etc. icta Heinsius, Bae. 28. Non F 1 unda NO Bae.
una Z Hertz. Palmer, etc. 32. For Aut L. Mueller reads Ad
34. Egissetque NO : corr. in V*.
PROPERTIUS, IV. 6., 35-52. 95
Aut qualis flexos solvit Pythona per orbes 35
Serpentem, inbelles quern timuere ferae.
37 54. ' saviour of the -world!' he said; 'conquer thou by
sea as thou hast conquered by land : free thy country from
fear, the sea from shame ! Let no terrors fright thee : no
cause is strong that is not just : forward, and Phcebus shall
be thine aid ! '
Mox ait : ' O longa mundi servator ab Alba,
Auguste, Hectoreis cognite maior avis,
Vince mari ! iam terra tua est : tibi militat arcus,
Et fa vet ex humeris hoc onus omne meis. 40
Solve metu patriam, quae nunc te vindice freta
Inposuit prorae publica vota tuae.
Quam nisi defendes, murorum Romulus augur
Ire Palatinas non bene vidit aves.
Et nimium remis audent: proh turpe Latinos 45
Principe te fluctus regia vela pati.
Nee te, quod classis centenis remiget alis,
Terreat: invito labitur ilia mari.
Quodque vehunt prorae Centauros saxa minantis,
Tigna cava et pictos experiere metus. 50
Frangit et attollit vires in milite causa;
Quae nisi iusta subest, excutit arma pudor.
36. inbelles N imieilttW quom tacuere lyrae L. Mueller lyrae
NDVF Hertz, etc. : apparently from 1. 32 : Post, defends it. Bae. has
deae : Palmer viri (comparing Ov. Met. i. 438 sqq.) or ferae which I
have adopted. 42. Inposuit N Imposuit O. 45. Et ni-
mium NFV 2 Et nunc, en, remis audent prope Bae. frope NO
Per. proh turpe Z Latinis NO Latinos Markland, Bae. Post. 49.
Centaurica the MSS. Centauros Guy. minantis NF minantes V.
96 PROPERTIUS, IV. 6., 53-86.
Tempus adest, committe rates : ego temporis auctor
Ducam laurigera lulia rostra manu/
55 58. So saying, he sped his shafts ; forth leapt the spear of
C<zsar, and the Eastern Queen lay conquered, her, sceptre
shattered on the waters.
Dixerat, et pharetrae pondus consumit in arcus : 55
Proxima post arcus Caesaris hasta fuit.
Vincit Roma fide Phoebi : dat femina poenas :
Sceptra per lonias fracta vehuntur aquas.
59 68. The great Julius rejoiced from heaven : the gods of the
sea rejoiced as she fled to die in her own time 'twas better
so and Phxbus wins the praise.
At pater Idalio miratur Caesar ab astro :
' Sum deus : et nostri sanguinis ista fides.' 60
Prosequitur cantu Triton, omnesque marinae
Plauserunt circa libera signa deae.
Ilia petit Nilum cymba male nixa fugaci,
Hoc unum, iusso non moritura die.
Di melius : quantus mulier foret una triumphus, 65
Ductus erat per quas ante lugurtha vias!
Actius hinc traxit Phoebus monimenta, quod eius
Una decem vicit missa sagitta rates.
69 74. Enough now of war ! A folio calls to song and feast, to
the wine-cup and the rose !
Bella satis cecini : citharam iam poscit Apollo,
Victor et ad placidos exuit arma chores. 70
54. uilia N (ace. to Bae.). 56. furit Heinsius. 59. Italia
N. 60. Sum deus NO Tu meus Bae. Turn deus Lach. est
NFV et DV 2 Per. en Marklancl, Hertz. 63. Ilia NFV-
Ille O. For nixa Paley reads nacta. 67. monimenta N. 68.
sagita N. 69. cytharam N.
PROPERTIUS, IV. II., 1-2. 97
Candida nunc molli subeant convivia luco,
Blanditiaeque fluant per mea colla rosae,
Vinaque fundantur praelis elisa Falernis,
Terque lavet nostras spica Cilissa comas.
75 86. Let Bacchus aid our muse, and tell of German, of
Ethiopian, and of Parthian, or if there be aught for Ccesar's
sons to conquer: so shall day break in upon our feast.
Ingenium potis irritet Musa poetis: 75
Bacche, soles Phoebo fertilis esse tuo.
Ille paludosos memoret servire Sicambros,
Cepheam hie Meroen fuscaque regna canat,
Hie referat sero confessum foedere Parthum :
Reddat signa Remi : mox dabit ipse sua. 80
Sive aliquid pharetris Augustus parcet Eois,
Differat in pueros ista tropaea suos.
Gaude, Crasse, nigras si quid sapis inter arenas :
Ire per Euphraten ad tua busta licet.
Sic noctem patera, sic ducam carmine, donee 85
Iniciat radios in mea vina dies.
IV. ii.
1 14. Weep not for me, Paulus: the black gate opens not for
prayer or tears: when, once the trump has sounded, nor
htisband nor ancestors nor sans can move the heart of Fate.
Desine, Paule, meum lacrimis urgere sepulcrum :
Panditur ad nullas ianua nigra preces.
72. Blanditiaeque NO Per. Blanditaeque Scaliger Blandae
utrimque Lach 1 . 74. Terque V Perque NO. 75. potis DV
positis NF Per. 81. aliquis NO aliquid Z almus Bae. 82.
trophea O. 83. arenas NFV 2 harenas N. 85. carmina N.
1. NO Per. have Paule, and so throughout sepulchrum N.
98 PROPERTIUS, IV. II., 3-20.
Cum semel infernas intrarunt funera leges,
Non exorato stant adamante viae.
Te licet orantem fuscae deus audiat aulae, 5
Nempe tuas lacrimas litora surda bibent.
Vota movent superos: ubi portitor aera recepit,
Obserat herbosos lurida porta rogos.
Sic maestae cecinere tubae, cum subdita nostrum
Detraheret lecto fax inimica caput. 10
Quid mihi coniugium Pauli, quid currus avorum
Profuit, aut famae pignora tanta meae ?
Num minus immites habuit Cornelia Parcas?
En sum, quod digitis quinque legatur, onus !
15 26. I die young but guiltless : deal gently with me, Pluto.
Come forth to judge, ye judges of the realms below : let the
Furies be at your seat, let Sisyphus and Ixion, let Tantalus
and Cerberus listen as I plead.
Damnatae noctes, et vos vada lenta paludes, 15
Et quaecumque meos implicat unda pedes,
Immatura licet, tamen hue non noxia veni :
Det Pater hie umbrae mollia iura meae.
Aut, si quis posita iudex sedet Aeacus urna,
In mea sortita vindicet ossa pila; 20
8. herbosos NF Hertz. Paley umbrosos DV Palmer, Bae. Mueller
rogos NO locos Bae. after Markland, who reads umbrosos lurida
Parca locos. Palmer suggests Obserat umbrosas lurida porta fores.
But why should the fores be called umbrosae ? Heinsius conj.
domos. 9. Sic NO Ut Bae. with comma after caput 1. 10.
13. Num F Hertz, etc. Non ND habuit NO edd. habui
old edd. Bae. 14. En Z Hertz, etc. Et NO Per. legatur NO
levatur Z Hertz. Bae. etc. 17. The leaf of N containing 11. 1 7-76
has been lost. 18. Det Pater O edd. Deprecor Bae. huic Z
hinc old edd. 19. Aut O At Bae. 20. In O Is Heinsius
vindicet F iudicet DV indicet Per.
PROPERTIUS, IV. II., 21-34. 99
Assideant fratres, iuxta et Minoida sellam
Eumenidum intento turba severa foro.
Sisyphe, mole vaces, taceant Ixionis orbes,
Fallax Tantaleus corripiare liquor,
Cerberus et nullas hodie petat improbus umbras, 25
Et iaceat tacita laxa catena sera.
27 32. Of my father s ancestors let Africa and Numantia tell :
nor less noble my mother s house of Libo.
Ipsa loquor pro me : si fallo, poena sororum
Infelix humeros urgeat urna meos.
Si cui fama fuit per avita tropaea decori,
Nostra Numantinos regna loquuntur avos. 30
Altera maternos exaequat turba Libones,
Et domus est titulis utraque fulta suis.
3344. In wedlock I have known but thee, Paulus : I call all
my sires to witness that I have brought no shame upon their
house, no stain upon the name of wife.
Mox, ubi iam facibus cessit praetexta mantis,
Vinxit et acceptas altera vitta comas,
21. Assideant fratres the MSS. Palm, reads Assideant, fratrem
iuxta Minoia sella, et O Hertz. Paley have no et after iuxta
minoia O minoida Z sellam Z sella DF sella et Hamb. Per.
24. Tantalus Z Bae. Tantaleo O with which Auratus (followed
by Palmer and Mueller) reads corripere ore Hertz, has Tantaleo
corripiare liquor. 26. laxa DV Bae. lapsa F Hertz. Palmer,
etc. 27. loquor O loquar Z Hertz. Bae. etc. fallo Z fallor O.
20. trophea decori Z decora trophei O. 3O. The MSS. have
Et or Aera which Palmer defends, reading una ' one set of brasses.'
Scaliger conj. Afra Bae. has nostra, which he considers is re-
quired by Si cui regna O edd. signa Bae. Palm, suggests as pos-
sible Aera . . . nostra (' family coins '). 31. So the MSS. The
line is probably corrupt. Most edd. follow the MSS. Palmer has
materni exaequatur hisce aequat, mater ni hos exaequant, mater no
se exaequat, etc. have been proposed. 32. Et O En Bae.
H 2
100 PROPERTIUS, IV. II., 35-54-
lungor, Paulle, tuo sic discessura cubili: 35
In lapide hoc uni nupta fuisse legar.
Tester maiorum cineres tibi, Roma, colendos,
Sub quorum titulis, Africa, tonsa iaces,
Et Persen proavi simulantem pectus Achilli,
Quique tuas proavo fregit Achilla domos, 40
Me neque censurae legem mollisse, nee ulla
Labe mea vestros erubuisse focos.
Non fuit exuviis tantis Cornelia damnum,
Quin et erat magnae pars imitanda domus.
45 54. As my blood is pure, so my life has been pure also : not
purer were the Vestals Claudia and Aemilia.
Nec mea mutata est aetas, sine crimine tota est: 45
Viximus insignes inter utramque facem.
Mi natura dedit leges a sanguine ductas,
Ne possem melior iudicis esse metu.
Quaelibet austeras de me ferat urna tabellas :
Turpior assessu non erit ulla meo, 50
Vel tu, quae tardam movisti fune Cybellen,
Claudia, turritae rara ministra deae,
Vel cui, commissos cum Vesta reposceret ignes,
Exhibuit vivos carbasus alba focos.
36. Ut Graevius, Bae. hoc O Bae. huic Marcilius, Palmer.
37. colendos O Per. Bae. verendos Z Hertz. Palmer. 38. tunsa O
Bae. tanta Per. tonsa other MSS. 39. simulantem Z edd. sti-
mulantem O Achilli O Bae. Aehillis V Hertz, etc. 40. For
tuas Post. conj. tumens Per. has tuas corr. to tuus proavus V*.
44. et erat O erat et Z et tram Ital. 48. Ne possem Z Ne
possis O. 49. Quamlibet Livineius una Wyngaarden. 50
assessu Z assensu DV asensu F ascensu V. 51. Cybellen DV
Cibelem F Cybelen Hertz. Cybeben Palmer. 53. cui commis-
sos Z Hertz, etc. cuius rasos O cui sac> a suos Bae.
PROPERT1US, IV. ii., 55-72. ici
55 6O. To thee, dear mother, I have brought no grief bttt by my
death : Casar himself bewails my lot.
Nec te, dulce caput, mater Scribonia, laesi : 55
In me mutatum quid nisi fata velis?
Maternis laudor lacrimis urbisque querellis,
Defensa et gemitu Caesaris ossa mea.
Ille sua nata dignam vixisse sororem
Increpat, et lacrimas vidimus ire Deo. 60
61 72. I have gained honotir from my sons ; twice has my
brother borne consuts office ; my daughter is worthy of her
race ; I have a fair name, a woman's highest glory.
Et tamen emerui generosos vestis honores,
Nec mea de sterili facta rapina domo.
Tu, Lepide, et tu, Paule, meum post fata
levamen,
Condita sunt vestro lumina nostra sinu.
Vidimus et fratrem sellam geminasse curulem, 65
Consule quo facto tempore rapta soror.
Filia, tu specimen censurae nata paternae,
Fac teneas unum nos imitata virum,
Et serie fulcite genus : mihi cymba volenti
Solvitur aucturis tot mea fata meis. 70
Haec est feminei merces extrema triumphi,
Laudat ubi emeritum libera fama rogum.
63. Te ... te O Tu . . . tu Z. 65. sella in gemuisse curuli
P>ae. 66. Consul quo foetus tempore Lach. Bae. has/also for
facto H. A. J. Munro conj. festo orfati. 70. aucturis Z edd.
ttncturis DV nupturis F If or fata Post. con], facta meis Lach.
Palm. Bae. malts O Hertz.
102 PROPERTIUS, IV. I]., 73-90.
73 78. And now I commend to thee our sons : play them a
mother s part to them, and add my kisses to thine own.
Nunc tibi commendo communia pignora natos :
Haec cura et cineri spiral inusta meo.
Fungere maternis vicibus, pater: ilia meorum 75
Omnis erit collo turba ferenda tuo.
Oscula cum dederis tua flentibus, adice matris:
Tola domus coepit nunc onus esse tuum.
79 84. Let them see no tears upon thy cheek ; enough that thou
grieve for me by night, and speak to mine image as though
it would answer thee again.
Et si quid doliturus eris, sine testibus illis :
Cum venient, siccis oscula falle genis. 80
Sat tibi sint noctes, quas de me, Paule, fatiges,
Somniaque in faciem credita saepe meam ;
Atque ubi secreto nostra ad simulacra loqueris,
Ut responsurae singula verba iace.
85 9O. If the couch be strewn for another wife, my sons, bear
with her ; subdue her love by gentleness : nor praise your
mother over much.
Seu tamen adversum mutarit ianua lectum, 85
Sederit et nostro cauta noverca toro,
Coniugium, pueri, laudate et ferte paternum :
Capta dabit vestris moribus ilia manus.
Nee matrem laudate nimis: conlata priori
Vertet in offensas libera verba suas. 90
76. ferenda O fovenda Mueller, Bae. 77. matris Z mater O.
79. quid NV edd. qitis O erisZ edd. ert'tNO. 81. sint N
sunt O. 84. iace Z face NO. 86. thoro FN. 87. placati
ferte Mueller. 80. conlata N collata O.
PROPERTIUS, IV. II., 91-102. 103
91 98. If he be content with memory of me, feel for his coming
age : add my years to yours : 'tis well I leave you all behind
me.
Seu memor ille mea contentus manserit umbra,
Et tanti cineres duxerit esse meos,
Discite venturam iam nunc sentire senectam,
Caelibis ad curas nee vacet ulla via.
Quod mihi detractum est, vestros accedat ad annos : 95
Prole mea Paullum sic iuvet esse senem.
Et bene habet : numquam mater lugubria sumpsi :
Venit in exequias tota caterva meas.
99 1O2. My cattse is said. Do ye witness for me as ye weep,
and help my course to heaven.
Causa perorata est. Flentes me surgite testes,
Dum pretium vitae grata rependit humus. 100
Moribus et caelum patuit: sim digna merendo,
Cuius honoratis ossa vehantur equis.
94. valet ulla vias N". 97. lubrica sumptum O lubrica
Z edd. lubrigia sumptum IfV 2 . 99. For me Palmer suggests ne.
102. vehantur ITV 2 vehuntur O aquis NFV 2 Palmer (who
compares 3. 18. 31, 32) equis DV Per. Hertz avis Heinsius, Bae.
Hous., who quotes Cons, ad Liviam 329
Ille pio si non temere haec creduntur in aevo
Inter honoratos excipietur avo:.
NOTES ON TIBULLUS.
WEARY of war and danger, the poet declares he has no care for
wealth: he will give up a soldier's life with all its hopes and
honours, and retiring to his humble country estate, will live a life of
peace and simple ease, cultivating his fields and tending his flocks,
and happy till death with the love of Delia.
The introduction of Messalla's name, 1. 53, implies that Tibullus
had received an invitation from his patron to accompany him on
some military expedition, from joining in which, as part of the great
man's suite, substantial profit might be looked for. There was no
surer way for a young man to push his fortunes, and to lay the
foundation of a good balance at his banker's, than to attach himself
to the cohors or suite of a provincial governor : and we know with
what furious invective Catullus assails the provincial governor whose
meanness (or sense of justice ?) permitted his suite to return home
empty-handed (Cat. 28) . What then is the occasion to which the
invitation of Messalla refers? It could not have been Messalla's
command in Aquitania, nor his subsequent mission to the East, for
Tibullus accompanied him on both occasions (see Tib. 1 . 3 and 7),
and we know of no foreign service of Messalla's after the latter
event. We must look therefore to some earlier employment ; and
as we know that Messalla took an important part in the Actian cam-
paign, and commanded a division of the fleet in the battle itself, we
may with all probability infer that this poem was composed in the
spring of B.C. 31, on the occasion of the poet's being invited to take
a part in that memorable campaign. It will be noted that the allu-
sions in the piece itself are more applicable to a campaign in which
active fighting was expected, than to an ordinary provincial com-
mand. Assuming this view to be correct, it is interesting to
compare this poem with the 1st Epode of Horace, composed under
precisely similar circumstances, and on the same occasion. Like
Tibullus, Horace disclaims all desire to make money out of his
106 NOTES.
attachment to his patron (11. 25-34) > Dut whereas Tibullus refuses
an invitation to accompany Messalla, Horace volunteers unsolicited,
and apparently against remonstrance, to follow Maecenas through
every danger to the extremities of the earth. As a matter of fact,
Horace enjoyed at home the peace and comfort for which Tibullus
sighed : but whether his abstention was due to accident or policy,
his Muse has not betrayed him.
At the time supposed, if Tibullus was born in B.C. 59, he would
have arrived at the age of 28. His term of ten years' service as
an eques would have expired ; and the contemplative indolent poet
was little disposed to embark again on the troubled waters from
which he had just emerged.
1. The conditions of modern warfare make it hard for us to
realise that over the greater part of human history, whether
ancient or modern, the chief attraction in the military profession
has been the hope of enrichment. The profession of arms, now
emphatically the ' poor man's ' profession, has been mainly rilled
by men anxious to make their fortunes, whether on a big or little
scale. The Celtic races have never known but two motives to
war plunder and revenge. The Scottish Celt was able to live
up to his principles till put down by the strong arm of England
in the middle of last century. At Rome, until the Emperors in-
troduced a stable and tolerably just government throughout the
provinces, Roman soldiers, whether generals or legionaries, came
home gorged with plunder. When legitimate plunder failed, as
during the Civil Wars, honest citizens had to be despoiled of their
lands to satisfy the demands of the soldiery; and the triumvirs
swelled their legions by promising grants of lands to their ad-
herents, just as Cromwell did to the army which he took over to
Ireland in 1649.
Divitias, as defined by an.ro, refers to the former mode of pay-
ment : ing-era multa soli to the latter. When Horace hears that
his friend Iccius is going to join the expedition of Aelius Callus
against Arabia, he takes it as a matter of course that thirst for gold
is his motive, Od. i. 29. i
led beatis nunc Arabum intides
Gazis ?
Similarly, Propertius prophesies great wealth to those who join
Augustus" expedition to the East, 3. 4. 3 Magna, iriri, merces
and (like Tibullus) excuses himself from joining it because he has
no thirst either for gold or gems or land, 3. 5. 3-8
TIBULLUS, I. I., 1-4. 107
Nee tamen inviso pectus mihi carpitur aura,
Nee bibit e gemma divite nostra sitis ;
Nee mihi mille iugis Campania pinguis aratur,
Nee miser aera paro elade, Corinthe, tua.
sibi congerat, 'pile up for himself.' Divitias includes all forms
of wealth, fulvo auro is one of the means by which it may be accu-
mulated. The two main forms are distinguished, Hor. Sat. 2. I. 13
Dives agris, dives positis in fenore nummis.
2. teneat, ' have and hold.' The word avoids all awkward ques-
tions as to how possession is to be obtained.
culti, 'land fully tilled,' and therefore necessarily gained by
expropriation.
mnlta, A. has magna: a similar mistake occurs Ov. Am. 3. 15. 12
where P. (Palatinus primus) reads campi iugera parva for pauca.
But Hor. Sat. i. 6. 4 has magnis legionibus ; so Sallust, Cat. 53.
Iugera magna might therefore = ' whole acres.' The Roman
iugerum contained two actus quadrati, and the actus quadratus was
a square whose side was one hundred Roman feet. Hence a
iugerum = a rectangular plot of ground 240 feet by 120. The
English acre represents a square whose sides are nearly 209 feet, and
contains 43,560 square feet. By reducing Roman feet to English
(the Roman foot equals about 11-64 inches imperial measure), it
will be found that the Roman iugerum contained 27,097 square
feet, and so was less than two-thirds of the English acre.
The line is obviously imitated by Ov. Fast. 3. 192
lugeraque inculti pauca tenere soli.
3. labor assiduus, here used of the hardships and dangers
of a soldier's life. So Caesar B. G. 7. 41 of an attack on his camp
nostros assiduo labore defatigarent. Hor. Epod. 1.15 alluding (as
here Tibull.) to the Actian campaign
Roges tuum laborem quid iuvem meo?
So Soph. Phil. 864
ir6vos & fifi <f>of)>v KpanaTOs.
Quern . . . terreat, the subj. because no individual is pointed
at in alius 1. i . Quern has thus a consecutive force, = ' one of such
a kind as.'
4. Classica. The history of the word classieum is remarkable.
It is here used to denote ' a trumpet,' as in Virg. Geo. 2. 539
Necdum etiam audierant inflari classica.
Its proper meaning is ' a military signal,' a signal given to the
'Classes' into which the Roman people were divided for military
purposes by the constitution of Servius Tullius. The word classis
io8 NOTES.
is connected with calo (aX'w), whence come calendae, concilium,
flamo, etc. Thus classis meant the people, or a division of the
people, called together especially for war purposes. Hence it
originally meant ' an army : ' a use which evidently puzzled Livy,
for he tells us 4. 34. 6 Classi quoque ad Fidenas pugnatum
cum Veientibus quidam in annales retulere, rent aeqite difficilem
a.tque incredibilem. The word is used in the same sense by Virg.
Aen. 7. 716
Hortinae classes populique Latini.
When Servius divided the people into divisions according to their
wealth, each of the five divisions into which the wealthier citizens
(i.e. those possessing as much as 12,500 asses) were divided was
called a ' classis' ; while those who belonged to the first, i.e.
wealthiest, class, were emphatically called classici. From this
meaning sprang the phrases ' classical authors ' and ' the classics,"
as we learn from a passage in Gell. 19. 8. 15 classicus assiduusque
aliquis scriptor, non proletarius, the term proletarius denoting
those who were too poor to be enrolled : ' the masses ' as distin-
guished from ' the classes.' Subsequently classis came to be used
exclusively for ' a fleet,' and classici are ' marines.'
ptilsa, here used improperly of a wind-instrument. Thus in
Arist. Av. 682 KptKttv av\6v, and Claud, de Cons. Theod. 313
Cui tibia fiatu,
Cut plectra pulsanda chelys.
5. mea panpertas. Pauper (as is evidently here used in a
relative sense, for Hor. Ep. i. 4. 7 addresses the poet
Di tibi divitias dederunt artemque fruendi.
The word mea of itself qualifies the paupertas : ' such poverty as is
mine ; ' a poverty which, as he goes on to explain, enabled him to
live in idleness. From the allusions in 11. 19, 20 it would appear
that Tibullus' property was not so valuable as it had been. It is
generally assumed that it must have been in part confiscated during
the confiscations of B. c. 42. But confiscations were seldom if ever
partial : and Tibullus' own words point rather to his property
having fallen in value than to its loss. More probably, therefore, he
was only a sufferer from ' the agricultural depression ' which fol-
lowed the civil wars.
traducat, in allusion to his past military service.
vitae. Ad vitam would be a more usual construction, but trans-
duce, like obduco, is essentially a trajective verb, and is followed by
the dat. after the analogy oldare, tradere, etc. Hence Hor. Od. i.
24.18
TIBULLUS, I. I., 4-1 1. 109
Nigro compulerit Mercurius gregi,
quoted by the commentators, is scarcely in point.
6. dum . . . luceat, i. e. ' provided only.' An ' ever-blazing
hearth ' is a sign of comfort : enumerated by Mart. 10. 474 among
, the constituents of a happy life,
Non ingratus ager, focus perennis.
See too Cat. 23. 2. Statius had this passage in view Silv. i. 2.
2 55
Divesque foco lucente Tibullus.
7. Zpse, emphatic, ' with my own hands,' unlike the owners of
the vast estates called latifundia, which were cultivated by hordes
of slaves.
8. facili, ' ready,' ' skilful,' ' able to turn to anything,' in strict
accordance with its derivation from facto. The same root appears
in facetus which in early Latin bears the meaning of 'smart,'
' handy,' ' graceful,' without any reference to the humorous.
poma, here for pomos, apple-trees : grandia in contrast to
tcneras vites.
9. Spes is here personified as a goddess. Altars were erected
to Spes in gardens, etc., as the giver of increase. Cp. Tib. 2. 6. 21
Spes alit agricolus, Spes sulcis credit aratis
Semina, quae magno fenore reddat ager.
frugfuni includes cereals as well as fruits.
10. musta lacu. Mustum (properly an adjective meaning
'young' or 'new'), sc. vinum, was the name given to the sweet juice of
the grape, when first extracted from it, first by treading, afterwards
by pressing. The locus was a kind of cistern into which the juice
flowed from the press, and in which it was left to ferment. Cp. Ov.
Fast. 4. 887
Qui petis auxilium, non grandia divide mecuni
- Praemia, de lacubus proxima musta tuis.
The alliteration in this line, as below 1. 34, is obviously intentional.
11. nam, used elliptically. ' And I have good ground for hope,
for I am careful to worship the gods.' Rude images of rustic deities
were set up in fields and at crossways. They consisted of rough
blocks of stone or trunks of trees, sometimes carved into the
similitude of a head. Silvanus, Priapus, and Terminus were
frequently represented in this way: thus Ov. Fast. 2. 639
Termine, sive lapis, sive es defossus in agro
Stipes ab antiquis, sic quoque numen habes,
and Lactantius De Falsa Rel. i. 20 Quid, qui lapidem colunt in-
formein atque rudem, cui notnen est Terminus ? The god Ter-
HO NOTES.
minus was worshipped by the proprietors on each side of the march-
stone : Ov. 1. c.
Te duo diversa domini pro parte coronant,
Binaque serta tibi, binaque liba ferunt.
desertus, i. e. standing by itself in a field, as opposed to in
trivia, 1. 12.
14. libatum. The verb libo (Xtifrco) properly means ' to pour,
and is specially used of libations poured upon the ground or upon an
altar to a god. Hence it means generally ' to offer in sacrifice,' as
exta canum Ov. Fast. I. 389, munera ib. 647, and figuratively,
Prop. 4. 6. 7
Spargite me lymphis, carmenque recentibus art's
Tibia Alygdoniis libet eburna cadis.
agricolae . . . deo should be read. No special god is intended.
The singular is used collectively = ' the gods of agriculture : ' cp. 2 . 1.36
Redditur agricolis gratia caelitibus.
Many MSS. have deum, obviously because ante was supposed to be
the preposition. In Prop. 4. 2. 45 Vertumnus says
Nee fios ullus hiat pratis, quin ille decenter
Inpositus fronti langueat ante meae.
Ante no doubt means ' before I take any for myself.* There is a
similar confusion caused by ante the adv. preceding an ace. in i. 2. 10.
15. Corona spicea, 'a wreath of corn-ears,' the natural offer-
ing to Ceres : so Hor. Car. Sec. 29
Fertilis frugum pecorisque tellus
Spicea donet Cererem corona.
Compare the Scottish custom of hanging up in the kitchen of a farm-
house ' the maiden,' or last-cut handful of the harvest, decked with
blue ribbons.
17. Rnber, i. e. painted with vermilion. So Ov. Fast. I. 415
describes Priapus
At ruber, hortorum decus et tutela, Priapus.
Plin- 33- 36. i informs us that it had been the custom to paint the face
of Jupiter's image on feast days with vermilion, and that the censors
let out the job on contract. He adds that the bodies of triumphing
generals, of whom he cites Camillus, were similarly treated. Similarly
Pan is represented in Virgil E. 10. 27 as
Sanguineis ebuli baccis minioque rubentem,
and in Tib. 2. i. 55 the countryman in worshipping Bacchus paints
himself with the same substance,
Agricola et minio suffusus, Bacche, rubenti.
See Plut. Qu. Rom. 98.
TIBULLUS, I. i. 11-20. Ill
18. Priapus, the God of Gardens, was unknown alike to Italian
and to early Greek mythology. The main seat of his worship was
Lampsacus, on the Hellespont, where he was worshipped as the
son of Dionysus and Aphrodite. He was regarded as the protector
of flocks and of the vine, but especially of bees and all garden pro-
duce, which he protected from thieves and birds, being thus the
ancestor of the modern scare-crow or ' tatie-bogle.' His statue was
to be found in all gardens, with a falx or gardener's knife in his hand,
and a cudgel ; he bore a horn of plenty in his arms, and other emblems
of fruitfulness. Virg. Geo. 4. 109
Et custos furum atque avium cum fake saligna
Hellespontiaci servet tutela Priapi.
Martial 8. 40 treats him with scant respect : the poet threatens he will
cut him up for firewood if he does not protect his wood properly
from thieves. See also Hor. Sat. i. 8. 3-8.
19. 20. These lines refer to the loss of property which the
poet had sustained from whatever cause. See Introd.
20. fertis, i. e. ' receive.' So Hor. Od. 4. 3. 5
neque tu pessima munerum
Ferres,
and Ov. Am. 3. 6. 66
Mumra promissis uberiora feres.
Lares. The Lares here meant are the Lares Rurales, who
presided over the fields and guarded the interests of the husbandman.
' The word Lar is of Tuscan origin, and was used in that language
as a title of honour, equivalent, apparently, to chief or prince. Thus
we read of Lar or Lars Porsenna, king of Clusium, Lar Tolumnius,
king of the Veiientes, etc.
'Among the Romans, the deities denominated Lares were certain
spirits of dead men who were supposed to watch over and protect
the living. They were very numerous, and were ranked in classes
according to the departments over which they presided. Thus there
were Lares Privati and Lares Publici, the former being the objects
of family worship, while the latter were worshipped by the whole
community.
'The Lares Privati, or Domestici, or Familiares, were tutelary
spirits worshipped by all residing under the same roof. The spot
peculiarly sacred to them was the focus or hearth situated in the
Atrium, where stood the altar for domestic sacrifice. Near to this
there was usually a niche, containing little images of these gods,
called lararium, or aedicula. The offerings to the Lares consisted
chiefly of flowers, frankincense, and wine, which were presented from
112 NOTES.
time to time, and regularly on the Kalends of each month. A por-
tion of the viands consumed at each meal was also placed before
them in little dishes, and victims were occasionally sacrificed.
Marked reverence was paid to the Lares at the most important
periods of life ; to them the youth dedicated his bulla when he
assumed the manly gown ; to them the bride presented a piece of
money when betrothed, according to the form termed coemptio ; to
them she made a solemn offering on the day after her nuptials, be-
fore entering on the discharge of her matron duties ; to them a
grateful salutation was addressed by the master of the mansion when
he returned in safety from a foreign 'land ; and to them the soldier
dedicated his arms when the toils and dangers of war were over.
Thus in the Aulularia of Plautus, the Prologue is spoken by a Lar
Familiaris, to whose guardianship the father of the actual proprietor
of the house had committed a treasure buried beneath the hearth.
The spirit, after complaining of the neglect of the son, continues thus,
Huic filia una est : ea mi hi quotidie
Aut ture, aut vino, aut aliqiu semper supplicat:
Dat mihi coronas.
Cato, when describing the duties of a Villica, R. R. 43 Focum purum
circumversum quotidie, priusquam cubitum eat, habeat. Kalendis,
Idibus, Nonis, festus dies cum erit, coronam in focum indat. Per
eosdem dies Lari familiari pro copia supplicet.
' In the above passages a single Lar only is supposed to belong
to the dwelling ; the plural, however, is quite common, as in Juv. S.
9- 137
O parvi nostrique Lares, quos ture minuto,
Aut farre, et tenui soleo exorare corona.
Also Hor. C. 3. 23. 2
Nascente luna, rustica Phidyle,
Si ture placaris et horna
Fruge Lares a-vidaque porca.
Cp. also Tibull. i. 3. 33 ; i. 10. 15-27 ; 2. i. 59 ; Cato R. R. 2 ;
Ov. Trist. 4. 8. 21 ;. Pers. S. 5. 30
Cum primum .pavido custos mihi purpura ccssit,
Bullaque succinctis Laribus donata pependit ;
and Prop. 4. I. 131
Max, ubi bulla rudi dimissa est aurea collo,
Matris et ante deos libera sumpta toga.
Consult also Macrob. S. i. 15 ; Nonius, p. 531.
' Of the Lares Publici the most important were the Lares Kurales,
guardians of flocks and herds and fruits, propitiated by sacrifices of
TIBULLUS, I. i., 20. 113
calves and lambs ; the Lares Compitales, worshipped at the spot
where two or more roads crossed each other ; the Lares Viales,
probably the same with the preceding, so called because their images
were erected in streets and highways : invoked by travellers when
setting forth on a journey (see Plaut. Merc. 5. 2. 23) ; the Lares
Vicorum, or guardians of the streets ; the Lares Praestites, protectors
of the city ; the Lares Permarini, . worshipped by mariners (a
temple was dedicated to them in the Campus Martius, B.C. 179); and
the Lares Grundules, who stood under the grundae or projecting
eaves of houses.
' It is obvious from what has been said that the Roman Lares bear
a marked resemblance to the saints of the Roman Catholic Church.
Like them, the saints are believed to te the spirits of dead men, to
whose protection cities, streets, roads, ships, families, and private
individuals are commended ; statues or pictures of saints are to be
found in streets, crossways, bridges, ships, dwelling-houses, and all
places of public and private resort ; these are honoured with gar-
lands and offerings of every description, while lamps fed with per-
fumed oil bum before their shrines. The Lares must be dis-
tinguished from the Penates. The word Penates is apparently a local
adjective like nostras, cuias, Casinos, Arpinas, etc., connected with
penitus, penetro, penetralia, etc., so that the term properly denotes
the deities worshipped in the penus 1 or innermost part of the house.
But we have already seen that the focus or hearth situated in the
Atrium was considered the central point of the dwelling, and was
invested with peculiar sanctity. Hence Penates is in fact a generic
term, and, in its strict sense, comprehends all the gods worshipped at
the hearth, and will thus include the Lares, who are continually
mentioned in conjunction with the Penates, and frequently in such
terms as to imply that they were the same. But it is quite certain
that other- gods, besides the Lares, were worshipped at the hearth,
especially Vesta, who was herself the Goddess of the Hearth, and to
these the term Penates is often applied, so as to distinguish them from
the Lares. This is evident from a single passage in Plautus, Merc.
5- i. 5
Di Penates meum parentum, familiaeque Lar pater,
Vobis mando meum parentum rent bene ut tutemini.
Ego mihi alias Deos Penates persequar, alium Larem.
It would be vain to enquire who the Penates were, since they might
1 'Nam et ipsum penetral, penus dicitur, et hodie quoque penus
Vestae daudi vel aperiri dicitur.' Sen-, on Virg. Aen. 3. I a.
I
114 NOTES.
be different for every family, and the statements of ancient authors
upon this point are very contradictory. Varro, however, distinctly
asserts that the number and names of Penates were indeterminate.
' As there were Public as well as Domestic Lares, so there were
Public Penates who exercised a general influence over the destinies
of the whole Roman people. Thus Tacitus tells us, Ann. 15. 41,
that delubrum Vestae cum Panatibus Populi Romani was consumed
along with other very ancient temples in the great fire during the
reign of Nero. Apparently the temple of Vesta, being the common
hearth or central point of the city, was the proper abode of the Public
Penates. Dionysius also, R. A. I. 68, describes a temple in the
Velia (that part of the Forum immediately under the Palatine) in
which were " images of the Trojan Penates, two young men in a
sitting posture, with spears in their hands, a work of ancient art ; "
and adds that he had seen many other effigies of these gods in
ancient shrines, always represented as two young men in martial
equipment. These we should naturally suppose to be the Trojan or
Phrygian Penates mentioned so often in the Aeneid, supposed to
have been rescued from the flames of Troy by Aeneas, and trans-
ported by him to Italy.'
21-24. The principal rural festivals at which the fields, flocks,
and countrymen were purified were the Ambarvalia (see below Tib.
2. i), the Palilia (Ov. Fast. 4. 721 sqq.), and the Feriae Sementivae
(Ov. Fast. i. 6^8).
21. Tune, i. e. in better times.
22. exig-ui seems to imply that the property had been reduced
in size.
25. A. reads lam modo non possum, which can only mean ' I
am now only not able,' i. e. 'I am all but able,' as Virg. Aen. 9. 141
penitus modo non genus omne perosos,
' in all but utter hatred of the whole of womankind.' But to say ' I
am all but ready to be content with little' is at once weak and
inconsistent with the lines which follow, which imply a definite
assertion, or hope, of contentment. The reading of the text is from
M. : see critical note. Passim is supported by pudcat, 1. 29.
vivere parvo. Cp. Hor. Od. 2. 16. 13
Vivitur parvo bene cui paternum
Splendet in mensa tenui salinum.
26. longue . . . viae, of military marches. So Hor. Od. 2.6. 7
Sit modus lasso marts et viarum
Militiaeque.
These lines imply that Tibullus had only just given up the pro-
TIBULLUS, I. I., 21-27. 115
fession of arms, and did not feel sure how he would enjoy his
modest retirement.
deditns implies not so much ' devoted to ' as simply ' engaged
in.' Cp. Ov. Met. 13. 920, where Glaucus says,
Ante tatnen mortalis eram : sed scilicet altis
Deditus aeqnoribus, iam turn exercebar in illis.
So Lucr. 4. 996.
27. Canis aestivos ortus. ' Two constellations were known
to the Greek astronomers by the name of the Dog, and were dis-
tinguished as the greater and the lesser.
'The greater, or Canis, rose, according to Columella, on the 26th
of July, and the bright star in its mouth was called Canis, or Cani-
cula, or Sinus, the terms Cant's and Canicula being used to denote
sometimes the whole constellation, and sometimes the principal star.
'The lesser, or Procyon (w/wnW), that is, in Latin, Antecanis,
Antecanis, Graio Procyon qui nomine fertur^,
rose, as its title imports, before the great Dog, according to Colu-
mella, on the Ides of July. Although Canicula is usually employed
with reference to the greater Dog, yet, from its being a diminutive
of Canis, it is occasionally applied to the lesser, and we may observe
generally that the two groups are frequently confounded by ancient
writers, and the fables proper to the one transferred to the other.
See Ovid, Fast. 4. 939 and n.
'Since their rising served to mark the period of greatest heat, they
are commonly spoken of by the poets in connection with this circum-
stance. Cp. Tibull. i. 7. 21 ; 2. i. 47 ; 3. 5. i, andHor. C. 3. 29. 17
lain clarus occultum Andromedae pater
Ostendit ignem : iam Procyon furit
Et stella vesani Leonis
Sole dies refer ente siccos 2 ,
and C. 3. 13. 9, addressed to the Bandusian fount,
Te fiagrantis atrox hora Caniculae = fJescit tangere . . .
andC. i. 17. 17
Hie in reducta valle Caniculae = Vitabis aesttis . . .
to which add Ov. A. A. 2. 231 ; Pers. S. 3. 5, etc. In like manner
Virg. G. 4. 425
1 Arat. ap. Cic. N. D. 2. 44. Many edd. have Ante Canein, con-
nected in construction with the line preceding it.
2 According to Columella the Sun enters Leo on 2Oth July ; the
bright star in the heart of the Lion rises on the 29th July ; Ce-
pheus rises in the evening on the gth July.
I 2
1 1 6 NOTES.
lam rapidus torrens sitientes Sirius Indos
Ardebat,
and Virg. Aert. 3. 141
turn steriles exurere Sirius agros,
Arebant herbae, et mctum seges aegra negabat.
Our own familiar expression of " The Dog-days " is, of course,
derived from the same source.'
28. Cp, Hor. who as a poet describes himself, Od. 1. 1. 21, as
nunc viridi membra sub arbuto
Stratus, nunc ad aquae lene caput sacrae.
29. tennisse bidentem, ' to hold the hoe or mattock.' The
bidens was a hoe with two strong teeth of iron (5j/A.\a) : referred to
by the poets as the typical instrument of agricultural industry. So
Lucr. 5. 209 speaks of the human race as Vitai causa valido consucta
bidenti = Ingemere.
Tenuisse and increpuisse 1. 30, beside referre \. 32, show that
little or no distinction can be drawn in such cases between the use
of the pres. and perf. in tin.
30. The stimulus was a goad, i. e. a long stick with a sharp
spike at the end of it. Such an instrument is constantly in use in
South Italy at the present day.
34. est is placed by some MSS. at the end of the line. But
Dissen shows that the proper position for est is after magno as being
the emphatic word. Cp. above 1. 22 and i. 5. 68
lanua, sed plena est percutienda mami.
35. Hie, on my farm. The allusion is to the Palilia, the feast
of Pales, god of flocks and shepherds, held on the 2ist of April.
The day was supposed to mark the birthday of Rome : and is at
this day celebrated at Rome in honour of that event. For the
Palilia or Parilia cp. Ov. Fast. 4. 72^. Part of the ceremony of
purification consisted in leaping over heaps of burning straw. See
Tib. 2. 5. 87.
36. spar g^ere lacte. It would seem that the statue of the god
was actually sprinkled with milk : Tib. 2. 5. 27
Lacte madens illic suberat Pan ilicis umbrae,
Et facta agresti lignea falce Pales.
38. flctilibus. Vessels of common pottery were long used in
public rites, in retention of the simplicity of early times. In private
rites silver, and even gold, vessels came to be used : cp. Pers. 2. 57
Aurum vasa Numae Saturniaquc impulit aera,
while Juv. n. 1 16 laments the good old days when Rome worshipped
Fictilis et nullo violatus hrfpiter auro.
TIBULLUS, I. I., 28-51. 1J7
40. facili. We have seen this word above, 1. 8, used in an
active sense, ' that can make easily.' Here it is used passively, ' that
can be easily made or moulded,' ' ductile.' So Ov. Met. 15. 169
Utque novis facilis signatur cera figuris.
41. require approaches very nearly in meaning to desidero
'to miss,' ' to feel regret for the loss of something once enjoyed;'
and is sometimes coupled with it, as ia Cic. Verr. 2. 5. 67 cives
Romani vestram severitatem desiderant, vestrum auxilium re-
(juirunt. Here desiderant is ' feel the loss of ; ' requirunt, ' demand
to have restored to them.'
42. condita, of the harvest gathered in and safely ' stored ' in
the garner.
43. lecto . . . toro. ' Differunt enim lectum et torus ut \t\os et
tvvr),' D. Lectus is the bed as a whole : connected with lex, lego,
our ' lay,' etc. Torus connected with aroptwvfu, sterna, stramen,
toral, etc., refers to the cushions or bedding : hence such phrases as
praebuit herba torum, etc. Ov. Her. 5. 14.
44. levare, ' to make light ; ' hence ' to remove a weight,' ' to
refresh.'
46. tenero, ' loving.'
detinuisse, for the tense see above on 1. 30 and below 11. 73, 74.
48. imbre iuvante. ' Compare the quotation from Sophocles
in Cic. Epp. ad Att. 4. 7, " Cupio, ut ait tuus amicus Sophocles,
K&V VTT& artfg
nvKvas axovfiv tf/eitdSos evSovar) <ppivi." '
50. Note the trisyllabic ending of the pentameter, much rarer
in Tibullus than in Catullus, though more frequent than in Ovid.
51. The allusion to precious stones has been held to indicate
that the proposed campaign was to be in the East. Propertius in the
same way expects rich booty of jewels from Augustus' projected
campaign against the Parthians, 3. 4. 2 ; 3. 5. 4, etc.
smaragdi. ' It appears extremely probable that the ancients
gave the name smaragdus not merely to the precious gem which
we call an emerald, but extended the term to fluor spar, green
vitrified lava (green Icelandic agate), green jasper, and green glass.
There is a curious passage in Pliny, H. N. 37. 5, where he tells
us that Nero used to view the combats of gladiators " in an
emerald," which is generally understood to mean a smooth polished
mirror made of some of the above substances ; although, from the
peculiar phraseology employed, others maintain that the emperor
was near-sighted, and used a concave eyeglass formed out of the
gem. See Beckmann, History of Inventions, vol. 3. p. 176.'
Ii8 NOTES.
With regard to the quantity of a short vowel before smaragdus
see Ramsay's Latin Prosody, p. 261. 2.
' Observe the position of quo, which is irregular, since it ought
to be attached to the latter of the two words which it connects.
A prose writer would have said, O quantum cst auri smaragdique ;
but the poets not unfrequently indulge in this license, e.g. Tib.
i. 3- 56
Messallam terra dum sequiturque mart.
Similar to these are Hor. C. 2. 19. 27
Sed idem = Pacts eras mediusqtte belli,
and Hor. Sat. I. 4. 17
Di bene fecerunt, itiopis me quodque pusilli
Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis?
The ' misplacing ' of que or ve in such passages is a marked feature
of Horace's style. The word to which the particle is attached is
always emphatic, and its meaning usually is common to both clauses.
See Wickham on Od. i. 30. 7.
52. vias, of military marches, cp. 1. 26.
53. Messalla. ' Appian, De Bello Civili 4. 38, gives a summary
of the history of M. Valerius Messalla Corvinus, which is useful for
the student of Tibullus. According to this and other authorities,
Messalla, while yet a very young man, was proscribed by the trium-
virs, and fled to Brutus and Cassins. His name was almost im-
mediately struck out of the fatal list, but he remained true to the
cause of the republic until after the battle of Philippi, when, the
soldiers who escaped having chosen him for their general, he
persuaded them to yield to fortune and surrender. For a con-
siderable period, Messalla remained in close alliance with Antony,
but, disgusted by the conduct of Cleopatra, he passed over to Octa-
vianus, who received him with the greatest distinction, and admitted
him at once to full confidence. He fought well for Augustus in
Sicily B. c. 36, against the Salassi B. C. 34, and at Actium B. C. 31,
where he commanded the centre of the fleet, holding the office of
consul in the place of Antonius. At the end of the same year he
proceeded to Aquitania as pro-consul, was despatched thence to the
East and did not return to Rome till his triumph in B. c. 27. He
was the first person named to hold the important office of Praefectus
Urbi, a charge which, however, he soon resigned. He was born
about B. c. 60, and died before A. D. 3.
' Messalla enjoyed also the highest reputation in literature, and his
compositions are warmly praised by Seneca, Quinctilian, and the two
Plinys. He was the author of a History of the Civil Wars, and of a
TIBULLUS, I. I., 52-72. 119
treatise De Romanis Familiis ; but his fame rested chiefly on his
oratorical efforts, which were characterised by great purity of style
and neatness of expression, and by a lofty and generous tone, though
considered deficient in strength. None of his works have been pre-
served, with the exception of a few insignificant fragments.'
54. Referring to the custom of hanging up upon the door-
posts spoils won from the enemy. So Prop. 3. 9. 26
Atqtie onerare tuam fixa per arma domum.
See Virg. Aen. 7. 183.
56. Roman slaves who acted as janitors were not unfrequently
chained, like dogs, to their posts. So Ov. Am. i. 6. i
lanitor, indignum ! dura religate catena.
57. laus is especially used of military renown: Prop. i. 6. 29
Non ego sum laudi, non natus idoneus armis.
60. Imitated by Ovid in his Elegy on Tibullus, Am. 3. 9. 58
Me tenuit martens deficiente manu.
63, 64. ferro Vincta. This phrase does .not mean merely a
heart ' enclosed in ' or ' encased by ' iron (Find.), but rather a heart
; tight bound (or hard), as being made of iron.'
67. manes ne laede. Flere et crines solutos habere consenta-
neum, si vero etiam absdnderet crines Delia et genas laceraret, aegre
ftrrent hoc Manes poetae, quibus etiam in Oreo cur a formosae
pucllae. D. Immodico luctu carorum Manes offendi aut putabant,
aut poetae saltern eleganter pronuntiant. H. ' We find the same idea
in Prop. 4. n. i
Desine, Paulle, meum lacrimis urgere sepulcrum?
69. lunger e in this sense is properly used with an ace. of the
persons joined together, as Ov. Met. 4. 156
Ut quos serus amor, quos hora novissima iunxit ;
cp. the word coniux, one joined to another. But it is also used, as
here, with a quasi-cognate ace. of the union formed, in such phrases
as iungere pacem, foedera, amicitiam, or as here atnorem ; cp. Cat.
64- 372
Quare agite, optatos aninns comungtte amores.
72. If capiti be read, it should probably be taken as an old
form of the abl. as in Cat. 66. 1 24. Capite is supported by Plaut.
Merc. 2. 2. 34
Tun' capite cano amas ?
On the other hand, the dat. with an infin. after it is not unex-
ampled with decet : e. g. Liy. 34. 58. 8 Sicut aut sola aut prima
certe pensari decet principi orbis terrarum populo. So Dig. 32.1.23.
1 20 NOTES.
Tib. I. 2. 91 further suggests that the blanditiae might be repeated
by the old lover to himself :
Et sibi blanditias tremula componere voce.
73, 74. Of the drunken revels and brawls of lovers.
inserere used by Liv. 35. 17 with expostulations , by Tac. Hist,
i. 23 with querelas. The phrase is analogous to iungere amorcs
above 1. 69.
75. The poets often speak of Love in terms analogous to those
of War. Pindar well quotes Ov. Am. i. 9 where an elaborate com-
parison is drawn between the Lover and the Soldier. See esp. 1. 19
Ille graves urbes, hie durae limen amicae
Obsidet ; hie portas frangit, at ille fores.
I- 3-
THIS poem was written at Corcyra. Messalla was despatched
direct from Aquitania on his mission to the East. Finding this
enterprise more to his mind than the prospect of joining in the cam-
paign against Antony in B. c. 31, Tibullus had attached himself to
his patron. He fell ill, however, on the journey, was compelled to
remain behind at Corcyra, and returned to Rome on his recovery.
The sad thoughts of a sick bed and the disappointed hopes of the
adventurer are curiously mingled, in a tone half serious, half playful,
with the expectation of a poetic Elysium if he die, and the picture
of a happy and unexpected return home to Delia if he survive.
1. Zbitis . . . Messalla. The poet first addresses the whole
cohors comitum, then specially their chief.
2. cohors, it must be noted, is the technical term for the
personal retinue of a commander ; not merely his military or official
staff, but all the friends who accompanied him. So Horace writing
to a friend on the staff of Tiberius in the East, Ep. i. 8. 14
Ut placeat iu-veni, percontare, utque cohorti ;
and Cat. 28. I
Pisonis comites, cohors iftanis.
3. Corcyra was fixed upon by the later Greeks as the abode of
Alcinous and the Phaeacians, upon equally good authority as that
which selected the isles between Capri and Surrento as the haunt of
the Sirens, Formiae as the abode of the Laestrygones, and the bold
headland near Terracina as the dwelling of the enchantress Circe.
Cp. Ov. Am. 3. 9. 47, where Ovid alludes to this illness of
Tibullus.
TIBVLLUS, I. I., 73-1. 3-, *-". 121
ig'notis terris, foreign lands, as distinguished from 0Ar
sedes.
5-8. The following passage from Tib. 3. 2. 9-26 contains
minute information on the ceremonies connected with preserving the
ashes of the dead :
Ergo cum tenuem fuero mutatus in umbram,
Candidaqtie ossa super nigra favilla teget^
Ante meum venial longos incompta capillos
Et fieat ante meum maesta Neaera rogum.
Sed veniat carae matris comitata dolore :
Maereat haec genera, maereat ilia viro.
Praefatae ante meos Manes animamque precatae
Perfusaeque pias ante liquorc manus,
Pars quae sola met superabit carports, ossa
Incinctae nigra Candida veste legant ;
Et primum annoso spargant collecta Lyaeo,
Mox etiam niveo fundere lacte parent,
Post haec carbaseis humor em tollere velis
Atque in marmorea ponere sicca domo.
Illuc, quas mil tit dives Panchaia merces
Eoique Arabes, pinguis et Assyria,
Et nostri memores lacrimae fundantur eodem:
Sic ego componi versus in ossa velim.
See also the interesting and detailed instructions given by Propertius
with regard to his own funeral rites 2. 13, 17 (extracted below).
7. Assyrios here, as elsewhere, for ' Syrian ' and so ' Oriental,'
as Eastern wares were shipped to Rome through Syrian ports. See
note on Prop. 2. 13. 30, Cat. 66. 12. Thus Syra merx is used of the
spices of India and Arabia, as well as of the gems, silks, cottons,
etc. of central Asia. Thus Virg. describes Tyrian purple as Assy-
rium venenum, the incense of Arabia as Assyrium amomum, and
Ovid Indian ivory as Assyrium ebur.
9. cum mitteret, i. e. 'at the moment of saying farewell.'
Pind. compares Cat. 66. 29 maesta virum mittens,
11, 12. ' Among the superstitious Romans fortune-tellers drove
a brisk trade, and frequented the Forum, the Circus Maximus, and
other places of public resort. Ennius, in a fragment preserved by
Cicero, De Divin. I, exclaims,
Non habeo deniq^^e nauci Marsum augurem,
Non vicanos haruspices, non de Circo astrologos,
i.e. " soothsayers that stroll about the streets, and astrologers that
122 NOTES.
haunt the Circus." Horace, Sat. I. 6. 113, says that when taking an
evening walk,
Fallacem circum vespertinumque pererro
Saepe forum, adsisto divinis ;
and there is a very interesting passage in Juvenal, Sat. 6. 542,
regarding foreign impostors, Jews, Armenians, Syrians, and Chal-
daeans, who passed from house to house vending their prophecies.
It would appear from the lines before us, that boys were wont to sit
in the streets for the purpose of affording the passers by an oppor-
tunity of trying the divination by sortes. These sortes were slips of
parchment or pieces of wood, upon which certain words or sentences
were inscribed. They were mixed together in a box or urn, one was
drawn or shaken out, at random, and a conclusion formed from the
expressions which it contained, as applied to the particular circum-
stances of the person who made the experiment '. The sortes of the
temple of Fortune at Praeneste were among the most celebrated in
Italy. Cicero has a dissertation upon the subject in general, and
upon these in particular in his treatise De Div. 2. 41.
' Some understand that the puer, 1. 1 1, was employed only to
draw out the lots, because Cicero says of those at Praeneste, Fortunae
monitu, pueri manu, miscentur atque ducuntur ; but the words ilia
sustulit seem to preclude that interpretation here. Again, a question
has been raised with regard to the second clause, illi Rettnlit c
triviis omina certa puer, whether these words are merely a continua-
tion and explanation of those which precede, or whether they relate
to another species of divination, and point out that, in addition to
drawing the sortes, Delia sent a boy to a place where three ways
met, in order that he might watch for an omen and announce to her
what he had seen. This last interpretation seems somewhat forced,
but has been adopted by Dissen. Finally, we may notice the in-
genious conjecture of Muretus, which has been adopted by several
editors, who would substitute trinis for triviis, making the pre-
diction depend upon the result obtained by drawing the lots three
limes, three being a mystical number.'
13. dabaut, here used for ' offered,' ' promised.' This mean-
ing is perhaps to be derived from the imperf. tense: 'were for
giving.'
14. nostras . . . vias, for the plural used of a voyage cp. Prop.
i. 8- 30
Destitit ire novas Cynthia nostra vias.
1 Tacitus, Germ. 10, gives an account of a species of divination,
practised among the Germans, resembling this.
TIBULLUS, I. 3., 13-18. 123
respiceret. Respicere, lit. ' to look back,' is constantly used of
that repeated, respectful, or loving looking, to which we give the
name of ' regard.' Here it means ' to regard with fear and anxiety,'
and though the use ofvias as an object is remarkable, there is no
reason to adopt the inferior MS. reading respueret, or Haupt's conj.
despueret, in reference to the well-known ancient superstition (still
shared apparently by so many of our countrymen) that spitting
brings good luck.
15. cum iam mandata dedissem, ' after my last parting in-
structions.'
17. causatus aves, ' alleged the omens in excuse.' In the next
line the construction is changed to an infin.
Causalus sum me tenuisse.
So Hor. after cantare Od. 2. 9. 19
Cantetmis Augusti tropaea
Caesaris, et rigidum Niphaten,
Medumque flumen gentibus additum
Victis minores volvere vertices.
18. Saturn! . . . diem. ' The Jewish Sabbath, the seventh
day, seems to have been always called Saturni dies (whence our
Saturday), from the time when the division of time into weeks of
seven days became known to the nations of the west. We find
many passages in the writers of the Augustan age, and their imme-
diate successors, which prove that, scorned as the Jews were who
had migrated to Rome, some of their peculiar tenets were well
known and respected, by the vulgar at least. Thus Ov. A. A. I. 415
Quaque die redeunt rebus minus apta gerendis
Culta Palaestino septima sacra, Syroj
and again R. A. 220
Nee plu-vias vites, nee te per eg* ina. morentur
Sabbat a, nee damnis A Ilia nota suis ;
and Horace, alluding, it would seem, to the Sabbath of the passover,
Sat. i. 9. 69
Hodie trice sima Sabbata, iiin' tu
Curtis ludaeis oppedere?
and Pers. 5. 184
Labra moves tacitus recutitaque Sabbata palles ;
to which add Juv. Sat. 14. 105.' It is to be noted that the lax prin-
ciples of Tibullus and Ovid enabled them to adopt a tone of respect
towards the Jewish and other foreign observances very different
from the tone of hate and scorn in which Juvenal speaks of them.
Tacitus, Hist. 5. 4, when giving an account of the Sabbath and
124 NOTES.
.
the Sabbatical year, and of the different opinions entertained with
regard to the origin of these observances continues : Alii honorem
eum Saturno haberi, seu principia religionis tradentibus Idaeis,
quos cum Saturno pulsos et conditores gentis accepimus, seu quod e
septem sideribus, qztis mortales reguntur, altissimo orbe et praecipua
potent ia stella Saturni feratur : ac pleraque caelestium vim suam
ct cur sum septimos per numeros commeare.
' The passage before us is remarkable as being the first in which
we find mention made of a day of the week named after a planet,
and it is by no means certain that the planetary names for the other
six were at this time known to the Romans. Josephus, born
A - E* 37> asserts, Ap. 39, that there was no Greek city whatsoever,
and no foreign nation, to which the use of the week of seven clays
had not penetrated; but Dion Cassius, who flourished A. D. 200,
tells us, 37. 17.18, that the practice of referring the days of the week
to the seven stars, called planets, arose among the Egyptians, but
had not come into general use until a short time before the period
when he wrote. It .was introduced into the Roman Calendar by
Constantine.' See dissertation on the names of the week and days
of the week in the Philolog. Museum, vol. i. p. i.
tenuisse, ' observed.' Or me may be the object : ' detained
me.' Cf. Prop. 2. 10. 14 and .
2O. Stumbling on the threshold was considered the most unpro-
pitious of all omens to a person setting out from home, or embark-
ing on any enterprise. To avoid the possibility of such a mischance,
a bride was always lifted over the threshold of her future home.
Cp. Ov. Met. 10. 452
Ter pedis offensi signo est revocata.
23. Like so many women at the time, Delia was a worshipper
of the Egyptian goddess Isis. Her worship was introduced by Sulla,
and she had a temple in the Campus Martius.
24. aera refers to the sistrum, or rattle, made of bronze, fre-
quently represented on ancient monuments. It was shaped like a
racquet, and the jingling was produced by transverse rods which
fitted loosely into the frame. See Rich. The rattling of these in-
struments by the worshippers, together with the white linen vestments
of the priests, were the two prominent features of the worship of
Isis. Cp. Ov. Am. 3. 9. 33 ; A. A. i. i. 77 ; E. P. i. i. 51
Vidi ego linigerae numen violasse fatentem
Isidis, Isiacos ante sedere focos.
28. IPicta tabella, referring to the votive pictures and models
TIBULLUS, I. 3., 23-39. 125
which were hung up at the shrine of the goddess, jnst such as can be
seen nowadays in the chapels of saints in Catholic countries.
30. lino tecta. See above. These garments of linen excited
wonder at Rome, where woollen clothes chiefly were worn. The in-
troduction of lighter fabrics from the east is considered to have con-
tributed to the greater unhealthiness of Rome in later times. Warm
clothing is essential as a preservative against the malaria which
infests so large a portion of Italy.
31. Bisque die. At sunrise and sunset.
32. Fharia, i. e. Egyptian, from the isle of Pharos, opposite
the harbour of Alexandria. Cf. Lucan, ix. i.
33. celebrare, properlyused of aconcourseof people forafeast or
other event at some particular spot, or on some particular day : hence
used of individuals ' to celebrate/ or, as here, ' to worship.' It was
customary for a traveller, on his return home, to pay solemn saluta-
tions to his Lares and Penates : hence 1. 33 is equivalent to a prayer
that he may return to his own home safe and sound. Cp. Ter. Phorm.
2. i. 81, where Demipho says, on his return from foreign parts,
At ego Deos Penates hinc salutatum domum
Devortar.
34. menstrua tnra. In allusion to the offerings, chiefly of
frankincense, flowers, and wine, which were made to the Lares on
the kalends, i. e. the ist of every month, at the new moon. Cp. Hor.
Od. 3. 23. 2
Nascente Luna, rustica Phidyle,
Si ture placaris et horna
Fruge Lares avidaque porca.
35. Saturno rege, i. e. in the golden age : cp. 2. 5. 9 and note.
36. We speak in the same way of a new country being ' opened
up." in longas vias, so as to make journeys to them possible, ace.
of result. For vias see I. i. 26.
37. contempserat, i.e. had got over its primitive and natural
fear of the unruly element : had not yet learnt to be indifferent to.
Cp. Juv. 10. 123.
Note the poetical variety caused by placing que after the second,
instead of after the first, word in the sentence. See below 1. 56
and Prop. 2. 20. 12
Ferratam Danaes transiliamque domum.
39. compendia here stands for ' gain.' Compendium is
properly a gain effected by saving, being the opposite of dispendium,
' a paying or weighing out.' The phrase facere compendium or com-
126 NOTES.
pendii is frequently used by the early dramatists, generally in a collo-
quial sense, for 'to save,' 'cut short : ' thus Plaut. Capt. 5. 2. i 2
Satis facundus : sed iam Jieri dictis compendium volo.
40. presserat, i.e. 'had laden.' Cp. Virg. Geo. i. 303
Ceu pressae quum iam portum tetigere carinae.
44. regere fines, ' to rule,' or ' define the marches ' between
properties : a technical phrase of Roman law, often found in Cicero.
The heading of one section of the Justinian code is ' Finimn regun-
dorum' Ovid gives an account of the god Terminus, Fast. 2. 639
sqq. : see especially 1. 659
Tu populos urbesque et regna ingentia finis :
Omnis erit sine te litigiosus ager.
Cf. also Virg. Aen. 12. 897, where Turnus sees
Saxum antiquum, ingens, campo quod forte iacebat,
Limes agro positus, litem ut discerneret agris.
45. The idea was that honey dropped spontaneously from the
leaves of the oak : as in Virg. E. 4. 30
Et durae quercus sudabunt roscida mella,
48. duxerat used here of the art of the forger : ' had hammered
out.' So the Greek Xawtv. Cp. Aen. 7. 633
alii thoracas aenos,
Aut lives ocreas lento ducunt argento.
The word is used also of the sculptor working in bronze : Hor. Epp.
2. i. 240
aut alius Lysippo duceret aera
Fortis Alexandri -vultum simulantia.
49. Nunc. Tibullus takes cognisance here of two ages only,
the gold and the iron. See on 2. 5. 9.
50. mare. With special reference to 11. 37, 38.
repente is used here almost with the force of an adjective;
perhaps to contrast with semper in 1. 49. So super in Virg. Aen. 3.
487
mihi sola mei super Aslyanactis imago.
51. timidnm refers to the same cause of fear as terrent, the
two words merely intensifying the meaning. The sense is ' I have
committed no perjuries, I have uttered no impious words, to give me
reason to fear the wrath of the gods.' So Prop. 2. 28. 6 declares the
true cause of Cynthia's illness to be Miens sanctos non habuisse deos.
Fater of course is Jupiter. This gives a more natural sense than to
take it ' I am afraid, but it is not my sins which terrify me."
53. fatales, ' the term of years assigned to me by destiny.'
54. fac . . . stet, ut omitted, as frequently.
TIBULLUS, I. 3., 40-55. 127
55. immiti, because premature. Acerbus is the word usually
employed of an early death, as Virg. Aen. 6. 429, where funere mersit
acerbo is used of those dying in infancy.
57-82. ' It is interesting to examine into the ideas entertained
by the earlier Greeks of the lower world and a future state, as expressed
by Homer, and to mark the modifications introduced by Virgil into
his narrative.
' According to Homeric Geography, the earth was a flat circular
plain or disc, completely encompassed and bounded by the great
stream of Ocean. The abode of departed spirits, the kingdom of
Hades, was called Erebus, and lay under the world inhabited by
men ; the entrance was placed on the western bank of the Ocean
stream, at a spot where the rivers Pyriphlegethon and Cocytus, the
latter of which is a branch of Styx, unite at a rock and pour their
waters into (the marsh of?) Acheron, Od. 10. 513. The natural
objects in this nether-world are shadowy representations of those in
the world above. There is a sky, and clouds, and storms, meadows,
hills, trees, and fruits. The only thing wanting is a Sun. The
bright light of day never penetrates into those dismal regions, which
are overspread by a gloomy twilight. As upon earth, good and bad
men are mingled together without distinction ; the former enjoy no
reward, the latter suffer no punishment. A few only who have
broken their oaths, II. 3. 276, or openly outraged the majesty of
heaven, are tortured as the enemies of the gods. Such are Tityus,
Tantalus, and Sisyphus. The ghosts of the dead wear the same ex-
ternal aspect as at the moment when they departed from life, follow
the same pursuits, and cherish the same feelings and passions. Thus
Odysseus recognises, at once, all his former friends, as they throng
the edge of the pit, eager to drink the blood of the victims which he
had slain. He beholds Minos grasping a sceptre, laying down laws,
and deciding the controversies of the dead, and Orion, club in hand,
pursuing and slaying the beasts of chase, while Ajax, still cherishing
vindictive wrath, turns away and refuses to hold communion with
his former foe.
' On the whole, the inmates of Erebus are discontented and un-
happy, comparing their actual nothingness with their former vigour
and power. Achilles, in reply to the compliments of Odysseus,
exclaims,
Extol not death to me, illustrious chief,
For rather would I toil on earth for hire,
The bonded servant of some needy swain,
Than rule supreme o'er all the shadowy hosts.
128 NOTES.
' Tartarus is perfectly distinct from Erebus ; it is a dark abyss as
far below earth as earth is below heaven, II. 8. 1 7 ; a brazen anvil,
says Hesiod, Theog. 720, dropped from heaven, would fall for nine
days and nine nights, and on the tenth day would reach the earth ;
a brazen anvil dropped from earth would fall for nine days and nine
nights, and on the tenth day would reach Tartarus. In this gloomy
dungeon, closed in with gates of iron, II. 8. 15, sit Kronus and lapetus,
11. 8. 479, on whom the sun never shines, and the breeze never blows,
and who, along with the other Titans, rebels against Zeus, are guarded
by Cottus and Gyges, and high-souled Briareus, II. 14. 274, 279,
Hes. Theog. 720.
'Elysium, again, is a happy plain on the western confines of the
earth, cooled by Ocean breezes, where certain favoured men live a
life of bliss. The description in Homer Od. 4. 562 forms part
of the prophecy delivered by Proteus to Menelaus, and is well known
on account of its exquisite beauty.
' Let us now briefly compare these statements with the picture
drawn by Virgil, who, although following in the steps of the great
master, has embellished his descriptions with many particulars de-
rived, in part, perhaps, from his own imagination, but chiefly from
the later Greek poets and philosophers.
1. ' The rivers Acheron, Styx, Cocytus, Phlegethon, are all in the
nether world. It is not easy to seize the conception formed by Virgil
of their position and connection, but it is clear that they formed a
boundary, and that it is necessary that one of them should be crossed
by the spirits of the dead before they can gain access to their
destined abode.
2. 'They are transported across by the grim ferryman Charon, a
personage unknown to Homer, and those only are allowed to pass
who have received the rites of sepulture. Those whose bodies re-
main unburied are compelled to wander disconsolate for the term of
a hundred years, a condition unknown to Homer. On the farther
side of the stream is the cave of Cerberus (Homer speaks of the dog
of Hades, and he is named by Hesiod), and beyond is a region
tenanted by those who have died a violent death before the hour
appointed by fate.
3. ' Tartarus, at the entrance of which sits the fury Tisiphone, is
a deep gulph which opens out of the realms of Pluto, and is the
general place of punishment for the Titans, the Hundred-handed,
Tantalus, Sisyphus, the Danaids, and all impious men.
4. ' Elysium is in the lower world, and is the blissful abode of
all the virtuous.
TIBULLUS, I. 3., 57-64. 129
5. ' Minos and Rhadamanthus act as judges, and decide the lot
of the spirits whether for weal or woe.
6. ' The Pythagorean doctrine of the transmigration of souls is
introduced. The inhabitants of Elysium, after a certain period, drink
of the river Lethe, which induces perfect oblivion of the past, and
then ascend to upper air to animate new bodies.
'See Voss, " Homer's Unterwelt," to be found in his "Kritische
Blatter," vol. 2. Consult also Heyne on Virg. Aen. 6.'
57. facilis, ' obedient,' ' compliant,' ' kindly.' Cp. Ov. Her.
16. 282
Sic habeas faciles in tua vota decs,
' that lend themselves kindly to.'
61. casiam. ' This is a perfume or spice, the same as that
spoken of by Virgil, Geo. 2. 466
Nee casia liquidi corrumpitur tisus olivi.
It is the Casia of Pliny (H. N. 16. 32), the tcaota of the Greeks,
which Theophrastus describes as coming from Arabia, and whicn
must, from his words, have resembled our cinnamon. It was, in all
probability, the bark of the Laurus Cassia (Linn.) the substance well
known in commerce as Cassia Lignea. We must carefully distinguish
this from a sweet smelling herb growing commonly in Italy, and
frequently spoken of by Virgil, e. g. E. 2. 49
Turn casia, atque aliis intexens suavibus herbis,
and Geo. 2. 213
Vix humiles apibus casias roremque ministrat y
and again, Geo. 4. 30, 184, 304 ; Ciris, 370.
' This last is believed to be the same with the KVfaipov or Ov^e\ala
of the Greeks, and the Daphne Gnidium of Linnaeus (see " Flore de
Virgile par A. L. Fee.")'
non~ culta seges. Note that seges signifies (i) a growing
crop, (2) as here, the land on which a crop grows. The former
meaning appears in Virg. Geo. i. 77
Urit enim lini campum seges, urit avenae,
the second in Geo. i. 47
Ilia seges demum votis respondet avari
Agricolae, bis quae solem, bis frigora sensit.
63. series, from sero, ' to bind ' or ' twine,' is applied to any
number of objects linked together : thus here of a band of. youths
and maidens dancing hand in hand.
64. praelia. not, as H. supposes, of the quarrels of lovers, but
after the fashion of the Elegiac poets, who love to compare the feats
K
130 NOTES.
of love with feats of war. The meaning is the same as in i. 10. 53
Sed Veneris turn bella calent.
Our word ' engagement ' has a similar twofold application, and in all
tongues the language of Love has borrowed such terms as ' conquest,'
'captivating,' 'killing,' 'chains,' etc., from the operations of the
sterner art.
66. Note the change of construction : qui has to be supplied
before gferit.
insig-ni, because wreathed with a chaplet ; myrtea, because
the myrtle was sacred to Venus. Cp. Virg. Aen. 6. 442
Hie, quos durus amor crudeli tabe peredit,
Secreti celant calles, et myrtea circum
Silva tegit.
67. scelerata. It may be doubted whether this word here means
'hateful,' 'accursed,' or is used zs = sceleratorum, i.e. the abode of
the guilty. Similarly Ov. Met. 4. 455 of the infernal regions
sedes scelerata vocatur,
and Virg. Aen. 6. 563
Nulli fas casto sceleratum insistere limen.
The former interpretation is rendered probable by impia Tartara
Virg. Aen. 6. 543, and lugentes campi ib. 441.
69. Tisiphone. Cp. Virgil's description, Aen. 6. 570
Continue sontes ultrix accincta flagello
Tisiphone quatit insultans, torvosque sinistra
Intentans angues vocat agmina saeva sororum.
' The 'Epivvts of the Greeks, who are the same with the Furiae
of the Latins, appear as independent goddesses in Homer and
Hesiod. According to the latter, they sprang from the blood drops
which fell from the wound inflicted by Kronus (Saturn) on his father
Uranus (Coelus), Theog. 183. Their number was first denned to
be three by Euripides, Orest. 408, 1650, and the names Alecto,
Megaera, Tisiphone, are not found until we come down to the authors
of the Alexandrian school. In the popular creed they were viewed
as ever wakeful, ever active avenging spirits, who inflicted punish-
ment upon impious criminals, by awakening remorse and expelling
them from society in this life, and by torturing them in the nether-
world. They were worshipped by the Greeks under the pro-
pitiatory titles of 'EvfifviSts (benevolent), and ^tfival Otai (Venerable
Goddesses), of which the former appellation is said to have originated
at Sicyon, the latter at Athens, although both were familiar to the
tragedians. See "Muller's Dissertations on the Eumenides of
Aeschylus." '
TIBULLUS, I. 3., 66-75. 131
pro crinibus. The snakes are here represented as actually
forming her hair : elsewhere they are twined into it. Note that pro
crinibus must be taken exclusively along with feros angues : ' the
wild snakes which are to her in place of hair.'
71. serpentnm . . . ore stridet, ' hisses through his serpent
throat.' Cerberus had three mouths, but Hor. in the same way uses
the singular ore trilingiii Od. 2. 19. 31. Virgil places the snakes on
his neck, Aen. 6. 419 ; Horace on his head, Od. 3. n. 17.
niger. In the metaphorical sense of the word ater is more
common: as Hor. Od. 2. 13. 34 of Cerberus
Demittit atras bellua centiceps
Aures.
73. Ixionis. ' " Legends preserved by the clans of northern
Greece, and stamped, as it seems to me, with evident marks of high
antiquity, represent Ixion, the Phlegyan chieftain, as the first example
of an expiation from blood-guiltiness, but withal repaid by ingrati-
tude. Ixion, in slaying the father of his bride, is the first among men
who has shed kindred blood (Find. Pyth. 2. 32). Then wild frenzy
seizes him ; he wanders like Cain ; none either of gods or men will
give him expiation (Pherecyd. frag. 69), until Jupiter himself at last
takes compassion upon him and cleanses him. But, unmindful of the
sacred obligation which binds the expiated to the expiator, he stretches
forth his audacious arms even to Juno." (Mueller.) Deceived by
the goddess, who substituted a cloud moulded into her own shape, he
became the father of Centaurus, from whom sprung the monster
race half man, half horse. Zeus, to punish his insolent ingratitude,
launched his bolt and hurled him down to Erebus, where, bound to an
ever-revolving wheel, he atones for his offence by eternal torments.'
75. Tityos. ' The giant Tityos is in Homer a son of Earth,
but according to Apollodorus, of Zeus and Elara, daughter of
Orchomenus. He insulted Leto, who summoned to her assistance
her children, Apollo and Artemis, by whose shafts the monster was
slain. He endures eternal torture in the realms of Hades, where
vultures prey upon his liver, Horn. Od. n. 575, Apollod. I. 4. i.
His crime and punishment are described in the Odyssey, and Virg.
Aen. 6. 595 has closely imitated the passage in six magnificent lines :
Nee non et Tityon Terrae omniparentis alumnum,
Cernere erat: per tola novem cui iugera corpus
Porrigitur ; rostroque immanis voltur adunco
Imniortale iecur tonderis, fecundaque poenis
Viscera, rimaturque epulis, habitatque sub alto
Pectore ; nee fibris requies datur ulla renatis.
K 2
133 NOTES.
'Lucretius, 2. 997, considers the fable of Tityos as an allegorical
representation of the tortures caused by the various passions and
desires which gnaw the heart of man.'
77. ' Tantalus was king of Lydia, son of Jupiter and the
nymph Pluto, and father by Dione, or, as others say, Euryanassa,
one of the Atlantides, of Pelops and Niobe. The cause, as well as
the form of his punishment, in the infernal regions, are differently
narrated by different writers. Ulysses, in the Odyssey, n. 581, thus
depicts his fate,
And Tantalus I saw in grievous plight,
All in a lake he stood, it reached his chin ;
Thirsty he stood, but might not quench that thirst ;
Oft as the old man stooped, eager to drink,
So oft the water shrunk and disappeared,
IVhile round his feet dark earth was seen the might
Of some divinity dried up the flood.
From tall green trees rich fruits depending swung,
Pomegranates, pears, and apples shining bright,
The luscious fig, the olive in its pride,
But when the old man raised his oustretched hand
To satisfy his hunger, straight the breeze
Whirled them aloft to the dark clouds of heaven.
The account of Homer is followed by Propertius, 2. i. 66 ; Horace,
Sat. 1. 1. 68 ; Ovid, A. A. 2. 605 ; Seneca, Here. Fur. 752, and others.
On the other hand, Pindar, Olymp. i, says that an enormous stone
was hung over his head by Zeus, and that he is tormented by the
endless dread of danger, because he stole away nectar and ambrosia
from the table of the gods, and conveyed it to his earthly peers.
Euripides ', who to a certain extent adopts the same version of the
tale, represents him as swinging aloft midway between heaven and
earth, while the rock suspended from golden chains whirls above
his head,
For that, so runs the tale, a mortal man
By gods admitted to communion high,
He failed to curb his tongue disease most foul.
Compare, among the Latins, Lucretius 3. 993
Nee miser impendent magnum timet aere saxum
Tantalus, ut fama est, magna formidine torpcns?
stagrna, the nominative case.
1 Orest. 4 and 980. For further particulars see Eustathius and
the Scholia 'upon Homer, and the Scholia upon Pindar and Euri-
pides.
TIBULLUS, I. 3., 77-79. 133
79. Danai proles. 'According to Apollodorus, 2. i, 4, 5,
Epaphus, son of Zeus and lo, became king of Egypt, and wedded
Memphis, daughter of Nilus, by whom he had a daughter, Libya.
Libya bore to Poseidon twin sons, Agenor and Belus ; Agenor
passed over to Phoenicia, where he reigned and became the patriarch
of a mighty tribe, while Belus remained in Egypt and married
Anchinoe, daughter of Nilus, who gave birth to twin sons.
Aegyptus and Danaus. Belus established Aegyptus in Arabia, and
Danaus in Libya ; the former, by many wives, was the father of
fifty sons, the latter of a like number of daughters. Discord having
arisen between the brothers, Danaus, fearing the sons of Aegyptus,
by the advice of Pallas, constructed a ship and fled to Argos,
where Gelanor, the reigning monarch, surrendered to him the sove-
reignty l . The sons of Aegyptus followed their uncle, entreated
him to forego his anger, and to bestow on them his daughters in
marriage. Danaus distrusted their professions and still harboured
resentment, but consented to their proposal. On the day of the
nuptials, after the marriage feast, he distributed daggers to the
damsels, who murdered their husbands while asleep, all save Hy-
permnestra, who spared Lynceus. The rest were purified from their
blood-guiltiness by Hermes and Athene at the bidding of Zeus.
Danaus, in his wrath, cast Hypermnestra 2 into prison, but after-
wards forgave her, and bestowed her upon Lynceus. The rest of
his daughters he offered as prizes in a gymnastic contest, and awarded
them to the victors. Apollodorus says nothing of any punishment
inflicted on the Danaids, but other writers feigned that they were
sentenced in the realms of Hades to draw water in a vessel full of
holes. Lucretius treats this as an allegory representing discontent,
3. 1021
Hoc, ut opinor, id est aevo florente puellas
Quod memorant laticem pertusum congerere in vas,
Quod (amen expleri nulla ratione potestur.'
nnniina. Note that the plural numina is here spoken of in
relation to a single deity. This is common in the poets : as in Virg.
Acn. 7. 297, where Juno exclaims indignantly
At, credo, mea numina tandem
Fessa iacent.
See too 3. 543 and Geo. i. 30. The same use explains the difficult
1 The circumstances are detailed by Pausan. 2. 19.
* Told somewhat differently by Pausan. a. 19.
134 NOTES.
expression Aen. i. 8, also in reference to Juno; quo niimine laeso,
'at what point, in what respect, was her divinity outraged that.'
82. lentas . . . militias, i. e. wished that my campaign might
be spun out so as to keep me away from Delia.
84. anus. From i. 6. 57 it would seem that the duenna who
is to keep guard over Delia, tell her stories, and set her a-spinning,
was her mother : otherwise the unceremonious way in which she is
spoken of might lead us to surmise that she was the counterpart of
the modern nurse, developed into a lady companion.
85. posita. Ponere is specially used of setting down things
on a table : of a lamp or candle, therefore, it is equivalent to our
phrase ' to bring in ' lights : of a dish put down at a meal, it means
'to serve up.' Thus Pers. i. 53 Calidum scis ponere mmen, 'you
know how to serve up a sow's paunch piping hot.'
86. Deducat, ' to draw out,' the regular word used of spin-
ning, and so often used metaphorically of the drawing out or
spinning of verses. See Prop. i. 16. 41. We learn from various
passages, e. g. Ov. Met. 4. 32-45, that the correct way of spending
the evening for the female part of an ancient household was to be
busy with spinning or weaving, while one of the party would tell
stories. Cp. the well known story of Lucretia, Liv. i. 58, Ov. Fast.
2. 7 4 / sqq.
Lumen ad exiguum famulae data pensa trahebant.
87. circa is peculiar, used of a single puella. Yet we speak
of one person being always 'about' another, meaning 'in their
company.' Puella can scarcely stand for ' a group of maidens.'
01. quails eris, ' just as you are,' without making any change
on my account. Ut eras is frequently used in the same way ; Ov.
Met. 4. 473
Tisiphone canos, ut erat, turbata capillos.
02. nudato, i. e. 'without taking time to put on your shoes.'
03. hunc ilium. This phrase well illustrates the meaning of
these two pronouns. Ilium is 'that distant, much-hoped for,
glorious day, when I shall return to you;' hunc (which contains
the predicate of the sentence) means 'just such a day as I have
now described.' The meaning then is ' may that glorious day when
it comes be like this,' ' such be that day.'
TIBULLUS, I. 7. 135
I. 7-
THIS poem is a birthday panegyric in celebration of the triumph
of his patron Messalla, and of the various great services by which
that triumph was earned. The triumph took place on the 24th
Sept. B.C. 27, and it would seem that Messalla's birthday must
have fallen a few days after that event, so that the poet is able
dexterously to weave together the two causes of congratulation. An
outline of Messalla's career has been given already in the note to i.
I. 53. The poet begins by celebrating his patron's victories in
Aquitania, and enumerates the various tribes which he subdued.
He then passes on to describe his mission to the East, to which he
appears to have been appointed at the close of B.C. 30. During
the course of that year Augustus had received the submission of
Syria from Antony's legate Didius ; the Antonian troops in Egypt
had surrendered, Antony and Cleopatra had committed suicide, and
from the 1st of August Egypt had formally been made into a Roman
province. Augustus prepared once more to winter at Samos rather
than return to Rome, not only because Samos was a central spot
from which he could keep an eye upon the course of affairs in the
East, but also because he wished to allow matters to ripen in the
City, and to make the need of his presence there the more keenly felt.
With this view he had to keep his own hands free : so he summoned
over Messalla from Aquitania, and entrusted him apparently with a
general mission to make a progress in the East, to settle the
provinces, and to see that the dispositions made by himself
were carried into effect. In the course of this mission he passed
through Syria, Cilicia and Egypt. Augustus himself returned to
Italy in B.C. 29; Messalla did not return to Rome till B.C. 27
when he celebrated his triumph for his Aquitanian successes.
Tibullus accompanied Messalla upon this mission as far as Corcyra,
where he was taken ill, as we saw in Elegy 3, and was obliged to
stay behind.
It will be noted that Tibnllus in this poem gives especial promi-
nence to Egypt, its gods and its fertility, and connects the acquisition of
that country with the inauguration of a new era of peace and plenty.
Egypt had by this time become the main granary of Rome ; its safe
keeping became a matter of special concern to the emperor ; and its
inclusion within the strong grasp of the Roman system was justly
regarded as a pledge not less of economic prosperity than of political
security.
136 NOTES.
1. nentes, ' while spinning.' The ancient idea was that the
Fates, as they span the thread of each man's destiny at his birth,
chaunted at the same time a song in which the main events of his
life were foretold. Sometimes the prediction was made at the
marriage of the parents, as in the famous case of the marriage of
Peleus and Thetis, Catull. 64, where the fortunes of Achilles are told
to the recurring refrain,
Currite ducentes subtemina, cur rite fusi.
In Tib. 4. 5. 3 the prophecy is made at the birth,
Te nascente, novum Parcae cecinere puellis
Servitium et dederunt rcgna superba tibi.
Ovid imitates this passage in Trist. 5. 3. 25
2. dissoluenda. The u is here vocalised as in Cat. 66. 38
Pristina vota novo munere dissdltio.
So in 1. 74 evStiiam and Hor. Epod. 13. 2 mine mare, nunc sfliiae.
3. Hunc perhaps implies that the victory was gained on Mes-
salla's birthday. This supposition removes the harshness of identi-
fying the day and the man.
Aquitaiias. The limits of Aquitania are thus denned by
Caesar, B. G. i. i Aquitania a Garumna Jlumine ad Pyrenaeos
monies et eatn partem Oceani quae est ad Hispaniam pertinet, special
inter occasum soli's et septemtriones.
4. quern tremeret, ' at thought of whom the vanquished Atax
should tremble.' Atax is a river in Gallia Narbonensis, now the
Aude, which flows from the Pyrenees into the Mediterranean ; as it
nowhere passes through Aquitania, Scaliger ingeniously conjectured
Atur, for the usual form Aturus, the modern Adour, which flows
into the Bay of Biscay through the centre of that province. But the
Atax may well have been the scene of some preliminary victory, as
its valley affords the natural access to Aquitania.
5. Evenere, i. e. the facts foretold by the Fates at their spin-
ning.
pubes Somalia, i.e. 'the manhood of Rome,' 'the Roman
people : ' so Dardana pubes for the Trojans, Virg. Aen. 7. 219.
6. No distinction of meaning can be established between
evinctos and vinctos, as though the former were a stronger word. It
is used of gentle bindings, as by garlands or fillets, Virg. Aen.
5. 494, Ov. Am. 3. 6. 57. Captives were usually represented with
their arms bound behind their backs, but this meaning is not
expressed by evinctos.
7. 8. In allusion to Messalla's triumph. The imperf. portabat
is used for graphic effect.
TIBULLUS, I. 7., 1-12. 137
9. We thus see that Tibullus accompanied Messalla in the
campaign. The Tarbelli are named by Plin. N. H. 4. 19 amongst the
Aquitanian tribes. Their country, id. 30, 2, was celebrated for its
hot and cold springs. They lived on the Aturus, and are men-
tioned by Lucan and other authors as living on that stream,
I. 419
nunc rura Nemosi
Qui tenet, et ripas Aturi, qua litore curvo
Molliter admissum claudit Tarbellicus aequor,
Signa movet, gaudetque amoto Santonus haste.
Ausonius speaks of Tarbellicus Aturus, and the tribe has given its
name to the modern Tarbes.
10. The Santones dwelt to the N. of the Garonne, giving their
name to the modern province Santoigne.
11. Arar. The Arar is the modern Saone, a river which flows
into the Rhone with a course due Southwards at Lyons, and has its
origin on the S. slopes of the Vosges mountains, not far from the
sources of the Meuse and the Moselle, which, rising on the Northern
side of the same chain, flow Northwards towards the Rhine and the
Atlantic. Geographically speaking, the valley of the Saone is, in
fact, the continuation, or. rather the commencement, of the great
Rhone valley, so that the Rhone ought rather to be considered the
tributary of the Saone, than the .Saone the tributary of the Rhone.
But with rivers, as with nations, might often triumphs over right :
and the superior volume of the Rhone, fed by the snows of Switzer-
land, has enabled it to usurp the title which belonged by right to the
placid Gallic stream. Caesar thus describes the Saone: Flumen
est Arar, quod per fines Aeduorum et Scquanorum in Rhodanum
fluit incredibili lenitate, ita ut oculis, in utram partem fluat, iudi-
cari nonj>ossit B. G. i. 12.
12. Carnutis. So M. : but A. has Carnoti. Caesar calls the
people Carnutes: but as the Greek form is Kapvovroi, the Latin
form should be Carnutes, not as here Carnutis. This people
in Caesar's time occupied the country to the W. of the upper Seine,
upon both banks of the Loire. They give their name to the province
called Chartrain, and to the modern town of Chartres (Autricum).
It is to be noted that in this and other cases, the name of modern
French towns is derived not from the Roman name of the ancient
city on the same site, but from that of the Gallic tribe which
occupied the surrounding country. Thus Paris derives its name from
the Parisii, not from Lutetia ; Bourges from the Bituriges, not
from Avaricum ; Tours, not from Augustodunum, but from the
138 NOTES.
Turones. Similarly Trfrves takes its name from the Trcviri ;
Amiens from the Ambiani, Rheims from the Remi, Soissons from
the Suessiones, Angers from the Andecavi, Nantes from the Nam-
netes, etc.
flavi, because the Celts of Gaul appeared light-haired to the in-
habitants of Italy.
tiger, the Loire. It will be noted that Tibullus takes a wide
sweep through the names of Gaul, and by no means confines himself
to Aquitania. The epithet caerula must either refer to the estuary of
the Loire, with its sea water, or else be an unmeaning general
epithet applicable to streams in general ; for no epithet could be less
applicable to the Loire itself. As a rule, the Roman poets had a
true eye for streams and rivers, and generally describe them by
characteristic terms. Their descriptions of mountain or forest
scenery, on the other hand, are in the last degree conventional and
vague.
13. The poet now passes on to describe Messalla's exploits in
the East, and begins by addressing the Cydnus (the Tersoos}, the
one famous river of Cilicia, which rises in Mount Taurus and passes
by the walls of Tarsus, birth-place of the apostle Paul.
14. This line is generally thought corrupt from the redundancy
of placidls aquis. It is impossible, as some propose, to take these
words as datives for ad aquas, ' creepest on to the calm waters of the
lake ' (Find.), in allusion to the swamp called the /Jjft/ia, into which
Strabo says the Cydnus emptied itself. The words per vada, how-
ever, do seem to refer to such shallows: if so, tacitis undis will
describe the general character of the river, placidis aquis the broad
smooth surface of the swamp or lake into which it passed.
. 15. quantus et, ' I will tell too how great.'
16. arat, the MS. reading, is obviously corrupt, and all
editors now agree in substituting alat. This makes good sense ;
for Strabo tells us that Mount Taurus was cultivated to the very
summit. The construction of the passage requires the subjunctive
mood, and even if it were not so, the idea that Taurus arat Cilices
can be equivalent to Cilices arant Taurum, gravely put forward by
Scaliger, is as absurd as to say that ' the cat killed the mouse ' is
equivalent to ' the mouse killed the cat.' Scarcely less absurd* is
H.'s interpretation ' Mount Taurus cuts through or traverses the
land of the Cilicians.' Mount Taurus does nothing of the kind, nor
can the Latin be made to say so.
18. sancta, not 'hallowed by' (Find.) as \lPalaestino Syro were
an ablative, but 'sacred to, holy in the eyes of, the Syrian of Palestine.'
TIBULLUS, I. 7., 13-26. 139
Palaestino is an adj., ' the Palestine Syrian.' Note that the term
Syria was used in a loose sense by the Romans, being applied to the
whole country bordering the Levant from Cilicia to Egypt, and
stretching inward to the Euphrates and Arabia. Thus all Phoenicia
and Palestine were included within its limits.
Pigeons were sacred to the Syrian Goddess Astarte or Ash-
taroth, identified by the Greeks with Aphrodite.
20. Tyros, which became the chief city of Phoenicia after the
decay of Sidon, is here put for the Phoenicians as a whole. As is
well known, they invented navigation, and for many centuries
monopolised the commerce not of the Mediterranean only, but of the
world.
credere docta. This Graecism an infin. depending directly
upon an adjective or participle is common in all the Augustan
poets, but especially in Horace. Cp. Od. 4. 13. 7 doctae psallere
Chiae ; and Ib. I. I. 18 ittdocilis pauperiem pati. See below 1. 28.
21-26. We may here transcribe a passage from Heeren on the
ancient Egyptians : ' The cause of the yearly inundations of the Nile
was an object of much research even in ancient times. Herodotus
formed many conjectures respecting it, and decided for the most
reasonable of them (Herod. 2. 20, etc.). Agatharchides, however,
seems to have been the first to discover the truth (Agatharchid. ap.
Diodor. I. p. 50). The constant rains, to which the districts of
Upper Ethiopia are subject during the wet season, from May to
September, swell all the rivers in those regions, the whole of which
pour their floods into the Nile, which consequently becomes the re-
servoir of this prodigious accumulation of water. In the middle of
June, about the time of the summer solstice, the Nile begins to rise
in Egypt. It continues to increase till the end of July, though still
confined. within its channel ; but in the first half of August it over-
flows its banks, inundates the neighbouring territory 1 , and its waters
continue, without intermission, to extend themselves till September.
About, this time, the torrents of rain in Ethiopia having ceased, the
Nile begins gradually to fall, but so slowly, that the greater part of
the territory of Egypt remains covered with its waters till the com-
mencement of October ; and it is not till towards the end of this
month that they completely return into their bed. The period of the
inundation, therefore, continues from the middle of August to the
end of October ; and during this time all the fertile valley of Egypt
1 It is usual to cut through dams and open canals on the 9th of
August.
140 NOTES.
has the appearance of one vast lake, in which its cities jnt up like
so many islands. Ancient writers, indeed, are wont to compare it to
the Aegean sea, where the Cyclades and Sporades offer a similar
appearance, on a larger scale.' Again, the same writer ' Although
Lower Egypt is not altogether without rain, yet this so rarely falls,
as we retire from the sea, that, under the constantly serene sky of
Thebes, the whole period of man's life may pass away without
the earth being refreshed from above with more than a moist dew.
The irrigation and fertility of the soil, therefore, entirely depend
upon the river, without which Egypt would have shared the fate
of the rest of Africa, and have been partly a sandy waste, and partly
a stony desert.'
The mystery of the sources of the Nile the mighty beneficent
river which unfailingly carries down its life-giving waters through
hundreds of miles of rainless country from the great unknown con-
tinent within a mystery which has only been solved in our own
day by our great countryman Livingstone exercised the imagina-
tion of the ancients fully as much as it has done that of moderns.
Thus Horace, Od. 4. 14. 45
Te fontium qui celat origines
Nilus,
and Ov. Am. 3. 6. 39
file fluens dives septena per ostia Nilus
Qui patriam tantae tarn bene celat aquae.
Claudian, Nilus 13, has the fine phrase, Fertur sine teste creatus.
27. Osirim. ' Everything connected with Egyptian myth-
ology is involved in the deepest obscurity, which has arisen, in a
great measure, from the doctrine sedulously inculcated by the priest-
hood, that the religion of Greece had flowed from Egypt as from a
fountain head, and that the prototypes of all the Grecian divinities
were to be found on the banks of the Nile. Herodotus seems to
have entertained no doubts of the general truth of this assertion,
supported as it was by a mass of bold and ingenious fabrications.
But, as an acquaintance with the subject became more accurate and
extensive, subsequent writers found that many of the powers and
attributes of the Egyptian gods would, by no means, apply to the
members of the Grecian Pantheon, with whom they had been
identified by the father of history ; and although they seem never
to have had any difficulty in acknowledging the general principle,
yet they differed widely from him and from each other, in applying
it. Hence the statements of these authors, when taken collectively,
present a tissue of confusion and contradiction, which, in many cases,
TIBULLUS, I. 7., 27-28. 141
becomes inextricable, from the practice of employing the Greek deno-
minations at once, without noticing the native names. Thus Greek
writers, when discussing Egyptian mythology, speak of the rites of
Apollo, Pan, Artemis, Hermes, Hephaestus, Latona 1 and others,
just as familiarly as if they were describing the ceremonies of Athens
or Argos ; while, in many instances, we have no means of ascertain-
ing, beyond some vague and fortuitous resemblance, the nature of
the personages to whom they refer.
'There seems, however, to be no doubt that Osiris, and his consort
Isis, were two principal objects of popular adoration among the
Egyptians, and that their worship was not confined to any particular
district, as was the case with many of their deities, but prevailed over
the whole land. As to the nature of this pair, we find, as might be
expected from the remarks made above, various and conflicting
accounts: By some, Osiris was considered to be the Sun (Plutarch.
Isid. et Osirid. ; Diog. Laert. in prooemio; Macrob. Sat. I. 21); by
others, to be a personification of the river Nile (Eusebius Selden, de
Dis Syriis I. 4; see PricharcTs Egyptian Mythology, p. 76); but,
according to the idea generally entertained by the Greeks, he was
the same with their Dionysus or Bacchus, the Liber Pater of the
Latins, and as such he is represented by Tibullus in the lines be-
fore us
'fsts again was by many regarded as the Moon (Plutarch de Isid.
et Osirid.; Diodor. I. n); by others, as Pallas Athene (Plutarch as
before) ; but generally by the Greeks as the same with their Demeter,
or Mother Earth, the Ceres of the Latins. This is expressly asserted
by Herodotus, 2. 156, and corroborated by Diodorus, I. 13. She is,
however, often confounded with Argive lo, e.g. Ov. Met. i. 588,
724.
28. Mempliiten . . . bovem. ' He means the sacred, oracular
bull, Apis, which was kept at Memphis, the capital of Lower Egypt,
in a magnificent temple, to which were attached spacious pleasure
grounds, where he might take healthful exercise (Aelian. de Animal.
2. 10). This animal was believed to be an incarnation of Osiris
(Strabo 1 7 ; Diodor. i), and was recognised by a number of peculiar
marks described by Pliny, H. N. 8. 46, and Aelian, De Animal. 2.
1 Latona is mentioned as an Egyptian Goddess by Herodotus and
many others, but we should have been entirely ignorant of her
native appellation had it not been for a passage in a late gram-
marian, Stephanus Byzantinus, from which we learn that it was
Bouto.
142 NOTES.
i o. He was said to live for twenty-five years, at the end of which
period he was supposed to drown himself by leaping into the Nile,
Quos dignetur agros, aut quo se gurgite Nili
Mergat adoratus trepidis pastoribus Apis
Stat. Sylv. 3. 2. 115. He was then interred with great pomp, and
the priests wandered about for some days, shrieking, beating their
breasts, and exhibiting every outward form of grief, until a new
Apis was found, when the discovery was celebrated by a joyful
festival, termed the Theophania, or Manifestation of the god. This
lasted for five days. All the ceremonies, together with an account
of the nurture of the young Apis, are detailed by Aelian. See
Prichard's Egyptian Mythology, p. 305; Jablonski, Pantheon
Aegypt. 4. 2, etc.
' There were other sacred bulls besides Apis. Such was Mnevis,
worshipped at On or Heliopolis ; Pacts, at Hermonthis ; and one of
vast size, with his hair reversed, called Onuphis. See Prichard, as
above.
' We may conclude this notice by quoting the words of Pliny,
H. N.8. 46 Bos in Aegypto etiani numinis vice colitur, Apim vacant,
Insigne ei, in dextro latere candicam macula, cornibus Lunae cres-
cere incipientis: nodus sub lingua, quern cantharum appellant.
Non est fas eutn certos vitae excedere annos, mersumqiie in sacerdo-
tum fonte enecant, quaesituri luctu alium, quern substituant, et donee
invenerint, maerent, derasis capitibus : nee tamen umquam din quae-
ritur. Inventus deducitur Memphim a sacerdotibus. He then goes
on to give an account of his oracular powers, and of his having been
consulted by Germanicus Caesar.'
According to the view of Brugsch (Religion u. Mythologie der
alten Aegypter, 1884) and that of many recent Egyptologers, the
fundamental conception of the Egyptian religion was that there was
one universal divine essence, which expanded itself into various
distinct deities, such as Ra, Amen, Ptah, Osiris ; while by a reverse
process, each of these derived deities might also assume the form and
the attributes of the one supreme originating power. Thus Nun is
distinctively the primal water element, from which all things were
formed by the one soul of the whole, which is at once identical with,
and yet distinct from it ; and Ra is the principal title for the Sun,
who is one main symbol of the divine permeating force. Yet in
localities specially sacred to Amen, he may be invoked, not only
under his own name, but also as Amen-Nun, or as Amen-Ra. Ra
is especially the rising Sun, as Turn or Atum is the setting Sun : and
as the Sun sets and rises again, so Osiris is held to live again after
TIBULLUS, I. 7., 28. 143
his mjiirder by Typhon (Set). This myth probably typifies the
struggle of darkness with light, and also of good with evil. In the
same manner, the departed human soul was held to follow the Sun in
his course through the nether world and to rise again. One special
function of Osiris is that of Judge of the Dead : a function appa-
rently assigned to no other deity. He frequently appears in this
capacity in representations of Hades ; he is swathed as a mummy,
and beside him is his minister Anubis, with the face of a dog or
jackal, who assists in laying out the dead, etc.
Isis again affords an instance of the self-dividing process of the
one original power in the matter of sex, as into active and passive. Just
as several male gods may be fused into one, so Isis becomes Athor,.
Neith, Bast, etc. And the male power himself, becoming apatvd-
Or)\vs, is styled both 'father of fathers,' and also 'mother of mothers,'
the stronger sex absorbing the properties of both. Osiris, too, as
primal spirit, being identified with primal matter, becomes the water
which is the womb of the world, and hence passes on to be the Nile
or even the Ocean. It is obvious that this quasi-Hegelian process
may account to some extent for the different accounts given by Greek
authors of Osiris and other Egyptian deities.
The river Nile was worshipped both in his own right, and also
as representing Osiris. Hymns addressed to the Nile have been found:
and Brugsch gives an inscription from a sarcophagus, on which the
four gods, representing the four elements, who bestowed favours on
the departed, are thus enumerated :
Ra, he gives thee light.
S'u, he gives thee sweet breath of air.
Qeb (or Seb, the Earth), he gives thee all growing fruits.
Osiris, he gives thee the Nile, thou livest again.
The two aspects of the Nile the earthly and the heavenly give
a further .illustration of the transforming tendency of Egyptian
mythology. For as the earthly Nile is often named Nun or Oceanus,
in one inscription he is styled 'Ocean-Nile (Nun-Hapi), Father of
Deities.' So too the heavenly stream assumes sometimes the name
Hap or Hapi, which was the Egyptian title for the earthly river *.
plang-ere . . . bovem. ' Plangere signifies (i) Generally, 'to
beat,' ' to strike.' (2) Specially, ' to beat the breast,' etc., in token of
grief, and is construed either (i) with the accusative of the object
1 For the substance of the above note I am indebted to my friend
the late Professor Lushington.
144 NOTES.
struck, or (2) of the object of sorrow, or (3) absolutely, without a
regimen, thus,
(1) Plangebant alii proceris tympana palmis
Catull. 64. 262.
Adspicit Alphenor, laniataque pectora plangens
Ov. Met. 6. 248.
(2) Nee dubium de morte ratae, Cadmeida palmis
Deplanxere domum, scissae cum veste capillos
Ov. Met. 4. 544.
(3) planxere sorores
Naides, et scctos fratri posuere capillos.
Planxere et Dryades : plangentibus adsonat Echo
Ov. Met. 3. 505.
3O. teneram, because the earth was yet young : cp. Virg. Geo.
2- 343
Nee res hunc tenerae possent perferre laborem.
inexpertae, 1. 31, has the same reference.
sollicitavit. In the same sense Virg. Geo. 2. 418
Sollicitanda tamen tellus, pulvisque movendus.
33. palis, 'stakes' or 'props.' The vines of ancient (as of mo-
dern) Italy were trained along espaliers, most usually formed of
growing elm trees. Hence continual reference in the poets to the
' widowed ' or ' unwedded ' vine when separated from its supporting
elm.
34. See Virgil's directions for pruning the vine, Geo. 2. 362-370.
dura, in antithesis to tenera 1. 33.
36. incnltis, . . . pedibus, i.e. 'to feet untrained to such work,'
in the same sense as nescia 1. 38.
37. voces inflectere cantn. Infiectere is 'to bend,' and
infiectere vocem expresses the simple idea that the voice, when it
changes its note, is as it were bent out of the straight line. Lucr. 5.
1406 varies the expression,
Ducere multimodis voces et flectere cantus.
Here the song itself is said to be bent, just as we say ' to turn a song.'
The same idea survives in the term ' inflections ' applied to the
changes in a form by declension, etc.
4O. tristttiae dlssoluenda, 'to be freed of his gloom.'
Here solvere, following the analogy of words of emptying, etc., is
used with the genitive. Cp. Hor. Od. 3. 17. 12 cum famulis operum
solutis, ' loosened in respect of,' i. e. ' loosened from, their work.'
42. Referring to the chains in which slaves were frequently
forced to work.
TIBULLUS, I. 7., 30-49. 145
44. aptus, 'fitted,' 'suitable.'
45. 46. For the repetition of sed Find, compares Virg. Geo.
2. 467.
46. corymbis. Corymbus is a branch of ivy with the berries
hanging from it. The ivy was sacred to Bacchus, and his locks
were crowned with it. Hence Ov. Fast. i. 393
Festa corymbiferi celebrabat Graecia Bacchi.
palla is the long woman's robe of saffron colour (lutea, Kpo-
KCOTOS) worn by Bacchus. A purple or scarlet cloak (Tyriae vestes}
was apparently thrown over the/<z//a.
48. cista (Scottice ' kist ') was the box or case in which the
sacred utensils and emblems were kept which formed the principal
part of the mysteries in which the god Bacchus was worshipped.
The articles were kept covered up with ivy leaves : hence Hor. Od.
i. 18. ii
Non ego te, candide Bassareu,
Invitum quatiam, nee variis obsita frondibus
Sub divum rapiam.
See too Catull. 64. 259
Pars obscura cavis celebrabant orgia cistis.
49. g-enimn. 'The word Genius is derived from geno cxgigno,
signifying to create or beget, and the name was applied to a spiritual
being who presided over the birth of man, attended upon and watched
over him during life, and perished at his death. Each individual
had a separate genius who regulated his lot, and was represented as
white or black, according to his fortunes.
' Horace, Ep. 2. 2. 187, in answer to the question why are the
natural dispositions and characters of those around us frequently so
much opposed to each other? replies,
Scit Genius, natale comes qui temperat astrum,
Naturae deus humanae, mortalis in unum
Quodque caput, vultu mutabilis, albus et ater ;
and Censorinus, De Die Natali 3 Genius est deus, cuius in tutela,
ut quisque nattis est, vivit. Hie, sive quod ut genamur curat, sive
quod una genitur nobiscum, sive etiam quod nos genitos suscipit ac
tuetur, certe e genendo Genius appellatur. Eundem esse Centum et
Larem, multi veteres memoriae prodiderunt. Hunc in nos maximum,
immo omnem habere potestatem, creditum est. Nonnulli binos genios
in Us dumtaxat domibus, quae essent maritae, colendos putaverunt.
Euclides autem Socraticus duplicem omnibus omnino nobis Genium
dicit appositum. . . . Genio igitur potissimum per omnem aetatem
quotannis sacrificamus. . . . Genius autem ita nobis assiduus obser-
L
146 NOTES.
vator appositus est, ut ne puncto quidem temporis longius absccdat,
sed ab utero matris exceptos ad extremum vitae diem comitetur.
' The Genius of women was called a hino. Thus Pliny, H. N. 2. 7
Quamobrem maior caelitum populus etiam quam hominum intelligi
potest, cum singuli quoque ex semetipsis totidem Deos faciant, lunoncs
Geniosque adoptando sibi. So Tibull. 4.6.1
Natalis luno, sanctos cape turis honores.
Women accordingly swore by their Juno. Tibull. 3. 6. 47
Etsi perque suos fallax iurarit ocellos,
lunonemque suatfi, perque suam Venerem.
So also Petronius Arbiter 25 and Senec. Ep. no.
' Such being the Genius, it will be easily understood why the
Natalis Dies, or birthday, was particularly set apart for his worship.
The nature of the sacrifices offered is fully illustrated by the lines
now under consideration, and by the following passages. Tibullus,
2. 2, celebrates the birthday of his friend Cerinthus :
Dicamus bona verba : venit Natalis ad aras :
Quisquis ades, lingua, vir mulierque, fave.
Urantur pia tura facts, urantttr odores,
Quos tener e terra divite mittit Arabs.
Ipse suos Genius adsit visurus honores,
Cut decorent sanctas florea serf a comas.
Il/ius puro destillcnt tempora nardo,
Atque satur libo sit madeatque mere,
Annuat et, Cerinthe, tibi quodcumque rogabis :
En age, quid cessas? annuit ilk, roga.
And 21
Hoc veniat Natalis avi prolemqtie ministret,
Ludat et ante tuos turba novella pedes.
See also 4. 5. 19. To which add Hor. Ep. i. i. 143, describing the
rural festivals of the olden time,
Tellurem porco, Silvanum lacte fiabant,
Floribus et vino Genium memorem brevis aevi.
' Varro, quoted by Censorinus 2, says that bloody offerings were
never presented to the Genius on a birthday feast, because men
thought that it was unbecoming to take away life on the day when
they themselves received it. This did not apply, it would seem, to
the feast in honour of another ; for we find in Horace, when he is
making preparations to celebrate the birthday of Maecenas, Od. 4.11.6
Ridet argento domus, ara castis
Vincta verbenis avet immolato
Spargier agno.
TIBULLUS, I. 7., 49. 147
' The Genius was naturally believed to exercise an especial super-
intendence over wedlock ; the marriage bed was under his protection,
and was called genialis torus 1 , and the expression genialis praeda
is appropriately applied by Ovid A. A. i. 125 to the Sabine women,
whom the Romans had forcibly seized for their brides. Observe
also that genialis is used generally as an epithet for anything which
conduces to festivity, mirth, or pleasure. Genialis dies is a day of
joviality, Genialis hiems points out winter as the season of convi-
viality, expressions arising from the comfortable doctrine held by the
ancients, that in taking care of themselves, and looking after their
own enjoyments, they were performing an acceptable service to their
Genius. Those who practised abstinence were said defraudare
Genium suurn, Terent. Phonn. I . i . 9 belligerare cum Genio a ;
while the precept of Persius, S. 5. 151 indulge Genio, is an exhor-
tation to eat, drink, and be merry. In like manner, as there were
public Lares and Penates, the whole Roman people, taken collectively,
was supposed to have a Genius. When we read in Livy 21.62 that
the Genius was propitiated by the sacrifice of five full-grown victims,
we must understand the historian to mean the Public Genius, to whom
we find votive tablets inscribed with the words GENIO. P. R. We
find similar tablets to the Genius of an Army, of a Century, of a
Colony; nay more, places also had their Genius 3 , and Prudentius,
C. Symm. 2. 369, 444, twits his opponent with the fact, that walls,
gates, baths, stables, all had their Genii, so that scarce a corner of
the city could be found without a god of its own. The Genius of a
place was represented by a snake, Servius, Virg. Aen. 5. 85 ; and
hence to paint a snake upon the walls of any place of public resort
was the method adopted to point out that it was sacred, and not to
be denied, Pers. S. i. 113.
' Somewhat more mystical is the statement of Aufustius, an un-
known writer quoted by Festus *, that the Genius is the son of the
gods, and the creator of men (deorum filius et par ens hominum), the
instrument, as it were, employed by the gods in the formation of men.
1 Thus in Juv. Sat. 6. 22 sacri genium contemnere fulcri means
' to violate the marriage bed.'
* Plaut. True. i. 2. 81. Compare also Pkut. Pers. i. 3. 28 and 2.
3.11; Stich. 4. 2. 42; Hor. Od. 3. 17.
3 Servius on Virg. G. i. 302 'Genium autem ilicebant antiqui na-
turalem deum uniuscuiusqne loci vel rei vel hominis? In Aen. 7.
1 36 Aeneas invokes Geniumque loci.
* In voce Genius. See Muller, Die Etrusker, 3. 4, 5.
L 2
148 NOTES.
This seems to be connected with the ancient doctrine, Macrob. Sat.
i. 10, that the souls of men proceeded from Jupiter, and after death
were restored to him again. We can thus understand how a Genius
might be attributed to the gods themselves the Genii being, accord-
ing to this view, agents who executed their will ; and, in fact, we
read of Genius lovialis^, Genius Infernus (Fabrett. Inscrip. 2. 71),
Genius Plutonis (Gruter. Inscrip. 1073. 8), Genius Priapi (Petron.
Arb. 21), Genius Famae (Mart. 7. n), and the like. It is possible,
however, that these are mere circumlocutions, indicating the d'ivinities
themselves.'
49. The MS. reading centum ludos geniumque is insupportable,
as involving a harsh zeugma. 'Celebrate a hundred games and
(honour) the Genius with a dance.' Genium ludo geniumque chords,
adopted by Killer, is no better. The probability is that the two
words genium and centum, being so extremely like one another, got
accidentally interchanged, and that the true reading is that of the
text, genium ludo centumque choreis. The change from ludo to ludos
would naturally follow from the misplacement of centum, and the
sense requires centum to go with the second substantive, not the first,
and thus create a climax. Chorea is usually found in the plural, so
that centum is quite a permissible exaggeration, and harmonises with
multo in the next line. See Prop. I. 3. 5 ; 3. 10. 23 ; Hor. Od. 2. 19.
25 ; Ov. Met. 8. 746.
tempera. The brow of the Genius was to be moistened with
wine, just as his hair was to run down with unguents. As above
explained, the Genius was in all respects the representative and
counterpart of the man himself.
51. Illius, sc. Genii : see 2. 2. 5 seqq. quoted above. The image
of the Genius, in the form of a youth, stood in the atrium ; on festal
days it was adorned with wreaths and unguents ; viands and wine
were placed before it.
53. hodierne, for hodie. Or it may be the vocative by a con-
fusion of construction, as in Pers. S. 3. 28
Stemmate quod Tusco ramum millesime duds.
honores here means ' a complimentary offering,' ' an offering
paid as an honour.' The word honor is generally used not with a
mere abstract meaning, but with the additional sense of some external
or material result. Thus honor, honores, are the characteristic words
to use for any of the great offices of the state. See Juv. Sat. 1.117
Sed quum summits honor finito computct anno,
1 Caesius quoted by Arnob. adv. Gent. 3. 40. Varro quoted by
Augustin. deCiv. Dei, 7. 2. 13.
TIBULLUS, I. 7., 49-57. 149
where summus honor stands for ' our highest magistrates.' In Virg.
Aen. 5. 308 it means 'a present;' so in 5. 534. For the present
passage cp. Virg. Aen. 4. 207 and i. 736
in mensam laticum libavit honorem.
54. Iiiba. The libum was a cake much used in sacrifices ; it
was made of cheese, wheaten flour, and an egg. Cato, R. R. 75,
gives a minute receipt for making it. When there was any feast in
a house there was a large baking of liba: in Juv. 3. 187, when a
favourite in a great house dedicates his beard or his hair,
Plena domus libis venalibus ;
i.e. 'the house is full of liba: but we, the poor clients, are made
to pay for them' because they had to fee the menial who distributed
them.
Mopsopio. Mopsopus was a mythical king of Attica : hence
Mopsopii muri Ov. Met. 6. 423, and Mopsopius iuvenis id. 5. 661 for
' Attic.'
56. veneranda. It may be doubted whether veneranda is
not here used in an active sense ' venerating ' or ' meet to venerate,'
in accordance with the original meaning of the participle in -Jus.
Thus we have the gerundives of deponent verbs, as in Hor. Od.
4 . 4. 68
Praelia coniugibus loquenda,
' for wives to tell of.' So Viribus utendum est Luc. I. 347, ' there is
a using, or a need for using, of strength.'
57. monumenta viae, in reference to the repairing or re-
making of the Via Latina by Messalla. Amongst the various
public works carried out by Augustus, not the least important was
the restoration or improvement of the great military roads, which
had fallen into disrepair during the civil wars. Undertaking himself
the reconstruction of the great North road the Via Flaminia as
far as the Adriatic at Ariminum, he committed the rest to the
generals to whom he accorded triumphs, who were to defray the
expense out of their spoils, Suet. Oct. 30. Messalla, being amongst
the number, had to repair the Via Latina, one of the two main
roads to the South. Starting from the Porta Capena, like the Via
Appia, it diverged from it almost immediately to the left or North,
and making straight for the northern shoulder of the Alban group,
passed close to Tusculum, leaving the Alban mount upon the right,
and came down upon the upper waters of the Trerus near Anagnia.
Thence descending the Trerus and the Liris, it ultimately joined the
Via Appia at Beneventum. To this road probably Mart, alludes 8. 3. 5
Et quum rupta situ Messallae saxa iacebunt.
150 NOTES.
59. 6O. The Romans were great as engineers ; and none of
their engineering works are more impressive or durable than their
great military roads. So solidly were they built that the phrase
used for making a road is munire viam : and the architect Vitru-
vius, who lived under Caesar and Augustus, has left an exact
account of the mode of their construction. First the earth was
levelled and rammed down till it was solid ; then came a layer of
rough stones for a foundation, with or without cement ; above this a
second layer of rubble, mixed with lime, and rammed down to a
thickness of nine inches. On the top of all was a layer of hard pave-
ment stones, generally irregular in shape, laid carefully in a bed of
cement. These giant roads extended up to the extreme limits of
the empire ; many portions of them exist still notably of the Via
Appia almost as firm as when they were first laid down. The
superintendence and repairs of the roads were offices of high dis-
tinction ; Augustus himself had charge of a district. The glarea of
1. 59 refers to the layers of rubble ; the silex of 1. 60 to the flat
stones, usually of basaltic. lava, or other hard rock, which formed the
surface. The words apta iungitur arte show how nicely the stones
were fitted.
64. Candor and candidus imply a bright glistening whiteness,
as contrasted with the dead dull white denoted by albus. Hence
they are the natural words to use of the bright sunlight, of the
brightness of joy and happiness, of the shining radiance of a god, of
the bright beauty of a young face, or the unclouded transparent
openness of a clear soul.
I. 10.
THIS piece is probably the earliest of Tibullus' poems, and re-
sembles much the first of the first book in tone and subject. Our
poet was a lover of peace ; and this poem was apparently written
on the occasion of his being called out as a youngster to serve his
time as an eqties in the cavalry. He is to be torn, against his will,
from the peaceful pursuits and secure joy of his ancestral acres ; but
in what cause, or in what quarter, he was to serve, we have no hint
to tell. If he were born, as supposed, in the year B. c. 59, his
obligation to military service would naturally have commenced in
B. C. 42, when he was seventeen years of age ; if so, he may have
been called upon to form part of the forces that were being raised in
that year in preparation for the campaign of Philippi. It is interesting
to think that Tibullus may have formed part of the pursuing host
TIBULLUS, I. 7., 59-64 I. 10., r-io. 151
before which Horace ran, having ' ingloriously thrown his shield away ;'
but had he taken part in so memorable a campaign, his writings
would surely have borne some trace of it. The circumstance too that
he was shorn of part of his ancestral property is an indication that
he was not considered to be an adherent of the triumvirs ; unless
indeed we regard the fact that he was allowed to keep a portion of
it as a mark of especial favour, whilst opponents like Horace, or
neutrals like Virgil, lost their all. It is to be noted that in this
poem Delia has not yet appeared upon the scene; the poet looks
forward in hope to the simple pleasures of the country, and the
sweets of domestic life ; but there is no parting to look back to, as
in I. 3, no loved one to whose arms he hopes to return.
1. protnlit, i.e. 'brought forward,' 'brought to light,' 'in-
vented;' cp. Prop. 2.6. 31 and Hor. A. P. 1 30, of the coining of new
Quam si proferres ignota indictaque primus.
2. ferns et ferreus occur together Cic. ad Q. F. i. 3.
4. mortis via. Cp. animi via Prop. 3. 5. 10, and notes on
mortis adimus tier 3. 7. 2, dxAfortunae vias ib. 32.
5. An has better MS. authority than at, and gives a better
sense. After calling the inventor of arms vere ferreus, it is some-
what abrupt to say, ' But he, poor wretch, did no harm : ours is the
blame.' With an the transition is softened : ' Or is it rather true
to say that ours is the blame, not his ? '
5, 6. Note the distinction between ad and in when followed by
accusatives. Ad is vague, of general direction, without purpose ;
in is followed by the immediate, seen, object of a hostile attack.
7. He returns to the theme of I. I, that lust for gold is the
cause of war.
8. astabat, i. e. 'stood ready for use,' 'was set upon the table.'
Cups made of beechwood are part of the regular furniture of primi-
tive country life. In Ov. Met. 8. 669 they go along with vessels of
delf : see Virg. E. i. 36. When the rustic Hyrieus entertained Jupiter
and Mercury unawares, Ov. Fast. 5. 522
Terra rubens crater, pocula fagus erant.
10. varias, 'parti-coloured:' used by Virgil of lynxes, Geo. 3.
264, by Hor. of veined marbles, Ep. i. 10. 22, by Claudian of tigers.
The meaning is that in primitive times no pains were taken to
secure even whiteness and fineness in the fleece sheep might be
spotted. Varro, R. R. 2. 2, pays attention to this subject, and
directs that for breeding purposes rams with black or spotted tongues
153 NOTES.
should be rejected, as the fleeces of their offspring will be spotted
also. See Virg. Geo. 3. 387 and Columella 7. 3.
dux gregis, i. e. the shepherd, who as in Biblical times, and
to this day in the East, walked before his flock.
11. foret, for the more strictly correct fuisset, is used for
pictorial effect, as though to hide, as it were, the impossibility that
the wish could ever be gratified. Or by making turn the predicate
rather than vita foret, the tense is still more natural : ' O that I were
living then, in those happy days!' Very similar is Ov. Her. 10. 133,
where imperf. and plup. are joined together in a single wish :
Di facerent ut me summa de puppe videres !
. Movisset vultus maesla figura tuos.
Lit. ' Oh, that the gods were granting me to see thee from the ship !
My sad form would have moved thee.'
vulgri. Dissen supposes the weapons of the mob clubs,
knives, staves, etc. to be contrasted with the tuba of regular war-
fare. This is far-fetched : the contrast is rather between acquain-
tance with arms in general, and his own present circumstance, when
he must himself obey the trumpet-call.
Vulgus is used of the ordinary passion for arms, from which
Tibullus separates himself, just as Horace separates himself for other
reasons from the unholy crowd, 3. I. 2
Odi profanum vulgus et arceo.
12. micante, i.e. 'quivering,' 'fluttering.' Mico properly means
' to move rapidly backwards and forwards,' ' to vibrate : ' applied by
Virgil to the ears of a well-bred horse, Geo. 3. 84, and the darting
of a serpent's tongue, ib. 439. It is frequently applied to mental
agitation.
13. trahor before a vowel, being in arsis. Tibullus evidently
was a most unwilling conscript, and reminds us of the hero in
R. Buchanan's ' Shadow of the Sword. 1
quis seems here to be used for aliquis ; but no other instance
of this use is quoted except in relative sentences. Quis is constantly
used for aliquis after si, nisi, num, ne, cum ; in Liv. 6. 40 it is used
without any such conjunction in a mere relative sentence, quae ab nos-
trum quo dicentur, ' the things which shall be said by any one of us?
15. The images of the Lares, as we have seen, stood at or near
the hearth of the atrium, enclosed in a kind of niche or chapel
called lararium. idem, is the contracted form of the nom. plur.
16. tener, i.e. in childhood; as above I. 7* 3 teneram
humum, ' the earth in her young days.'
TIBULLUS, I. 10., 11-27. 153
Cursarem. So 2. 2. 22 addressing the Genius Natalis,
Ludat et ante tuos turba novella pedes.
18. vetexis seems here used almost as = senis. There is
perhaps the additional implication that he is speaking of a time long
gone by.
19. melius tenuere fidem, i. e. the men of those days were
simpler and more true.
cultu refers to ornaments.
20. aede exiffua, i. e. the Lararium.
21. Note the difference between uva, 'a bunch of grapes;'
racemus, 'a bough with leaves and clusters;' acinus, 'a single berry.'
Juvenal fitly compares a hive of bees swarming to a uva, 13. 68
Examenque apiitm longa consederit uva
Culmine delubri.
In the present passage uva is used for ' wine.'
23. voti compos. Votum is properly ' a vow : ' i. e. a prayer
accompanied by a promise that if the thing prayed for be granted,
some offering or service shall be given in return for it. Being thus
a promise accompanied by a condition, the word is used sometimes
specially of the promise, sometimes specially of the condition. Thus
voti compos means ' having gained or become possessed of the thing
prayed for ; ' voti reus, voti damnatus, mean ' having become bound
to fulfil the promise," i.e. in consequence of having obtained the
prayer. In both cases the same fact is stated, only from a different
point of view.
24. So Ov. Fast. 2. 651
Inde ubi ter fruges medios immisit in ignes,
Porrigit incisos fdia parva favos.
26. hostiaque is joined in the prayer with Lares, as being
able to secure his safety.
rnstica is read by good MSS. and is a safer reading than mys-
tica. On the other hand, it was less likely to be changed to mystica
than vice versa : and mystica derives confirmation from xoipia pva-
TTjpuca, \oipovs nvffTT)pi/eas Arist. Ach. 747, 764, in connection with
the worship of Ceres. So Virg. has mystica vannus lacchi, and Tib.
3. 6. i mystica vitis, in connection with the worship of Bacchus.
Rustica can only mean 'as a humble country offering.' Horace
mentions both porcae and myrtle as offered to the Lares, Od. 3. 23.
4 and 16.
27. canlstra, 'baskets,' in which the offerings of incense, cakes,
far, etc., were held. See the description 2. i. 11-14.
154 NOTES.
32. Cp. Ov. Her. i. 31
Atque aliquis posita monstrat fera praelia mensa,
Pingit et exiguo Pergama tota mero :
Hoc ibat Simois, hie esf Sigeia tellus,
Hie steterat Priami regia celsa senis ;
Illic Aeacides. illic tendebat Ulixes,
Hie lacer admissos terruit Hector equos.
So also Voltaire,
Et le vieux nouvelliste, une canne h la main,
Trace au Palais Royal Ypre, Fame et Denain,
where the tracing is done with a stick on the gravel.
33. Quis furor . . . ? A common formula = ' what madness
to . . . ! '
34. tacito clam. Each word adds to the strength of the
other.
35-38. ' This picture corresponds closely with the account of
the Infernal Regions, to be found in Homer, who represents the
realms of Hades as a gloomy and desolate region, where the spirits
of the departed, although not suffering actual pain, are strangers to
enjoyment. See Tib. i. 3. 56.'
36. Stygiae navita turpis aquae. Turpishere means 'ugly,'
' rough and unkempt.' So Virg. uses the word of a horse's head,
'ugly,' 'clumsy,' Geo. 3. 52 ; of the scab, ib. 441 ; of the loss of
looks in old age, ib. 96 ; of limbs fouled with mud, Aen. 5. 358.
The best MSS. read puppis : but the words would be readily inter-
changed, and puppis was evidently introduced to suit navita by a
scribe who could not understand turpis. Charon is described by
Virgil as horribili squalore Aen. 6. 299 ; by Propertius as a torvus
senex 3. 18. 24; by Juvenal as &porthmeus teter 3. 265.
37. The reading of A. is percnssisqne, which makes no good
sense. The words usto capillo show that some word is needed de-
scribing the condition of the cheeks after death, whilst still visible
on the flaming pyre. Strangely enough, the popular ancient belief
was that the shades bore in the infernal regions the same appearance
as at the moment of death, or even when half consumed by the
flames. In Virg. Aen. 495 Deiphobus appears with his body all
mangled: and Prop. 4. 7. 7-10 draws his vision of the deceased
Cynthia thus,
Eosdem habuit secum, quilnts est elata, capillos,
Eosdem oculos: lateri vestis adusta fuit ;
Et solitum digito beryllon adederat ignis,
Summaque Lethaeus trivcrat ora liquor.
TIBULLUS, I. 10., 32-51. 155
Percussis can only refer to striking the cheeks, perseissis to
tearing them in grief: neither is appropriate as applied to the
shades of themselves. Exesis, the conjecture of Heinsius, makes
the best sense, but involves a great change in the text.
40. Occupat, ' comes upon him,' ' overtakes him,' with the im-
plication ' before he is aware of it.'
42. Cp. Hor. Epod. 2. 42.
46. aratnros, to be taken closely with duxit.
48. testa paterna. ' The amphora stored up, or laid in, by
his father.' Cp. Ov. A. A. 2. 695
Qui properant, nova musta bibant ; mihi fundat avitum
Consulibus priscis condita testa merum.
The amphora was the earthenware vessel in which wine was kept
stored up for use, after all the processes of making had been gone
through. Though holding over five and a half quarts, it was thus
the counterpart of the modern bottle ; it was long in shape, had two
handles at the neck, and ended in a point at the bottom which
was stuck into the ground, whilst the head leant against the wall,
or against other amphorae. Great numbers of amphorae have been
found in this position, just as they were left by their owners.
50. situs (from sino) properly means 'a lying,' 'a situation:'
it is hence used of every kind of filth, such as dust, rust, mould,
weeds, etc., which gather upon things which are left untouched.
Thus Prop. 4, 5. 72
inmundo pallida mitra situ.
51. E luco. Another touch to describe the happy times of
peace. The father with his wife and family have been to a festival
in some sacred grove close by : so Hor. Od. 1.4. 1 1 of spring,
Nunc et in umbrosis Fauna decet immolare lucis ;
and Virg. Aen. n. 739
Hie amor, hoc studium ; dum sacra secundus haruspex
Nuntiet, ac lucos vocet hostia pinguis in altos.
From such a feast it would appear that the father might be
expected to come home in the same condition as too many a modern
farmer from fair or market : so Hor. A. P. 223
Ilhcebris erat et grata novitate morandus
Spectator, functusque sacris et potus et exkx ;
and Tib. 2. i. 29
non festa luce tnadere
Est rubor, errantes et male ferre pedes.
ipse. Only the father got drunk. Some editors suppose ipse
to mean ' with his own hands ' as having no slave. But if he were
156 NOTES.
himself male sobrius, it is to be hoped that his wife, or some other
member of the family, held the reins.
male sobrius, i. e. ' by no means sober,' ' very drunk.' The
use of the adverb male is apt to embarrass the young scholar, when
he finds that it apparently bears two opposite meanings. Thus
male sanus, Cic. Att. 9. 15, is equivalent to 'not at all sane' or
' insane ; ' whereas non dubito quin me male oderit, Cic. Att. 14.
1. 2, means 'he hates me very much ;' male metuo, Ter. Hec. 3. 2.
2, ' I am very much afraid ; ' male laxus calceus, Hor. Sat. i. 3. 21,
' a very loose shoe.' The explanation is that male, like our ' badly,'
naturally varies in meaning according to the meaning of the word to
which it is joined. ' To be badly wounded ' is to be very much
wounded, because wounding is an undesirable, evil thing. But ' to
fit badly ' is to fit not at all, because fitting is the thing desired, and
to add ' badly ' implies that the object is imperfectly attained or not
attained at all. So with male : male sanus, ' badly sane,' i. e. ' not
sane;' cp. singers male rauci Hor. Sat. I. 4. 66, 'very hoarse,'
because hoarseness is a bad thing. To do a bad thing badly is to do
it very badly ; to do a good thing badly is to do it imperfectly, or
not at all. Cp. our ' ill ; ' 'I can ill brook,' i. e. ' scarcely.'
68. Ferfluat, ' overflow.' The idea is taken from representa-
tions of Pax on coins and elsewhere : she holds an ear or ears of
corn in her hand, her lap runs over with apples and other fruit.
candidus, ' snow-white.' See note on i. 7. 64.
II. I.
' THE subject of this Elegy is the Ambarvalia or Sacrum Am-
barvale, a festival celebrated in spring time by the rustic population
of Latium, for the purification of themselves, their flocks, and fields.
As the name imports, the victims were led round the limits of each
farm or district, and the holy influence of the sacrifice was sup-
posed to extend to everything included within this circle. Such is
the solemnity described by Virgil, when he enjoins the husbandman
to pay due honour to the gods, Geo. I. 338
In primis venerare deos, atque atwua magnae
Sacra refer Cereri laetis operatus in herbis,
Extremae sub casum hiemis, iam vere sereno.
Tune pingues agni et tune mollissima vina ;
Tune somni dukes, densaeque in montibus umbrae.
Cuncta tibi Cererem pubes agrestis adoret.
TIBULLUS, I. 10., 6811. i. 157
Cut tu lacte favos et miti dihie Baccho,
Terque novas circum felix eat hostia fruges,
Omnis quam chorus et socii comitentur ovantes,
Et Cererem clamore vocent in tecta ; neque ante
Falcem maturis quisquam supponat aristis,
Quam Cereri, torta redimitus tempora quercu,
Det motus incompositos et carmina dicat.
Cato (R. R. 141) gives, at length, the form of prayer most fitting
for such occasions.
' Besides the Ambarvalia, celebrated by private individuals or small
communities, there was a public festival, whose name and object were
the same, in which the sacred rites were performed by a college of
priests, denominated the Fratres Arvales. These, according to
tradition, were first instituted by Romulus, and, originally, it was their
duty to march in solemn procession round the boundaries of the
state, accompanied by the victims a boar, a ram, and a bull con-
stituting the sacrifice called Suovetaurilia, singing hymns as they
paced along. When, in later times, from the extension of territory,
this became impossible, the sacrifices were still offered at certain
spots which marked the original limits of the Roman domain 1 .'
The only clue as to the date is given in 1. 33, in which Messalla's
Aquitanian triumph is alluded to. The poem must therefore have
been composed after that event, not earlier than the spring of
B. c. 26. The interest of the piece is great, as it is not a mere theo-
retical description, but an account of the ceremony which he was him-
self about to celebrate on his own farm, as an act of regular worship.
The shortness of the Second Book of Tibullus' Elegies has been
explained by the supposition that the poems contained in it were
collected and published after his death. Ovid, however, must have
known of the book before he wrote the elegy on the death of
Tibullus, and some time before he wrote A. A. 3. 535
Nos facimus placitae late praeconia formae :
Nomen habet Nemesis, Cynthia nomen habet.
1. A. and most MSS. have valeat : but faveat is a certain
correction. Tibullus uses the regular formula with which a sacrifice
or any holy rite was opened, as Unguisque animisque favete Ov.
Met. 15. 677. Ill-omened words must be avoided on such oc-
casions ; and as the only mode of securing that no ill-omened words
should be pronounced was that no words should be uttered at all,
the phra.se/avefe linguis is equivalent to ' keep silence.'
1 See Strabo, 14. . 34 (p. 645), and Ov. Fast. 2. 639 sqq.
158 NOTES.
2. prisco avo, because supposed to have been instituted by
Romulus.
Though the Ambarvalia were mainly in honour of the gods' con-
nected with the fertility of the soil, other gods besides were wor-
shipped. In the remarkable Carmen Fratrum Arvalium, one of the
very earliest specimens of Latin extant, the god addressed through-
out is Mars. The worship of Ceres (i. e. the Greek Demeter) was
not introduced at Rome till B. c. 494, when a temple was erected to
her along with her children Liber and Libera, close to the Circus
Maximus. The temple was restored by Tiberius, Tac. Ann. 2. 49.
Liber and Libera, who were no doubt native Italian deities, were
afterwards identified with Bacchus and Proserpina. Cic. pro Balbo
24 dwells at length on the circumstance that the worship of Ceres
was introduced from Greece.
Bacchus was represented on coins with horns, as a symbol of
strength and plenty. The same idea seems to have given rise to the
cornucopia, the horn of the goat Amalthea.
5. 6. Cp. the description of the Sementiva, a festival celebrated
at the close of the seed-time, in Ov. Fast. i. 657 sq. especially 1. 667
Villice, da requiem terrae, semente peracta :
Da requiem terram qui coluere, viris ;
and 1. 663
State coronati plenum ad praesaepe iuvenci :
'Cum tepido vestrum vere redibit opus.
6. suspense vomere. ' Ancient ploughs were so light that
they were easily carried, and hung up when not wanted : so Ov.
Fast. i. 665
Rusticus emeritum palo suspendat aratrum! Finder.
7. iugis. The abl., not the dat., as Find, says : Virg. Aen.
i. 562
Solvite corde metum.
9. operata. Operari is simply ' to be busy,' ' to work,' and in
this sense is followed either by the dat. or by the abl. with in, as ( i )
eo tempore quo corpus operatum rei publicae esset, ' busied for the
republic,' Liv. 4. 60. 2, and (2) Hor. Ep. i. a. 29
In cute curanda plus aequo operata iuventus.
But the word is frequently restricted to attendance upon sacred
duties, especially sacrifice, as Hor. Od. 3. 14. 5
Unico gaudens mulier marito
Prodeat iustis operata divis;
or without any case, as Prop. 2. 33. 2
Cynthia iam nodes est operata decem.
TIBULLUS, II. i., 2-25. 159
The neuter seems to have the same sense as in the Psalm :
1 Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.'
non for ne in prohibitive sentences has a gentle dissuasive
meaning, amounting rather to a recommendation than an order:
Hor. Sat. 2. 5. 91
Difficilem et morosum offendet garrulus ultra
Non, etiam sileas :
' you should not keep silence.' Pers. i. 5
non, si quid turbida Roma
Elevet, accedas.
Other instances are Hor. Ep. i. 18. 72, A. P. 460. In these pas-
sages the prohibitive meaning shades nearly off into the conditional :
' you would not keep silence,' i. e. if you followed my advice.
15. eat. The lamb was sacrificed after having been led thrice
round the farm : Festus says, Ambarvalis hostia est quae rei divinae
causa circum arva ducitur ab Us qui pro frugibus faciunt. So
Virg. Geo. i. 345
Terque novas circum felix eat hostia fruges.
19. neu sages eludat messem. The harvest or crop itself
is said to be mocked with vain hopes, in place of the husbandman.
Hor. 3. 16. 30 expresses exactly the same idea by et segetis certa
fides meae, as though the crop had given a promise which it loyally
redeemed. Cp. Virg. Geo. i. 225. The herbae are the green blades
which never come to maturity. Ov. Her. 17. 263 puts the idea into
a proverb,
Sed nimittm prof eras et adhuc tua messis in herba est.
21. nitidus, ' spruce : ' Hor. Epp. 1.4. 15.
23. The master, having feasted royally, is in a good temper,
feeds his slaves from his table, and looks kindly on their sports.
Cp. Hor. Od. 3. 17. 16, Epp. 2. i. 142, and especially Sat. 2. 6.
67-9
nodes cenaeque deum ! quibus ipse meique
Ante Larem proprium vescor, vernasque procaces
Pasco libatis dapibus.
24. The allusion seems to be to extempore arbours (pergula,
trichila} put up by the slaves near the altar, in which to drink and
be merry. See Tib. 2. 5. 97, and Ov. Fast. 3. 527
Sub love pars durat : pauci tentoria ponunt :
Sunt quibus e ramis frondea facia casa est ;
Pars sibi pro rigidis calamos statuere columnis,
Desuper extentas imposuere togas.
25. Eventura, i. e. ' prayers that will be fulfilled.'
160 NOTES.
26. nuntia fibra. Fibra, according to Varro and Festus,
means 'an extremity,' being the fern, of the adj. fiber : in divination
it denoted the thread-like extremities of the liver, which were of
great importance in that science. Thus Tib. 1.8.3
Nee miki sunt sortes, nee conscia fibra deorum.
Cic. Tusc. 3. 6 has omnes radicum fibras evellere.
27. fumosos, because wine was kept in an upper room (Ftt-
mariuni) where the wood smoke of the chimney might play about it :
just as many appreciate the ' peat reek ' of Highland whisky.
27, 28. Palernos . . . Ohio. ' The Italian wines most es-
teemed by the Romans, were all produced in the favoured district of
the "happy Campania" or on its confines. The Massicum and
" immortale Falernum," Mart. Ep. 9. 95, grew upon the sunny
slopes to the south of Sinuessa (Rocca di Monte Dragone}. The
Caecubum and Calenum, so often and so earnestly eulogised by
Horace, came, the former from the marshes around Fundi, the latter
from Cales (Calvi} ; the heights of Setia (Sezza) yielded the Setinum,
prized above all others by Augustus and his court, Plin. H. N. 14. 6,
while the volcanic ridges of Mons Gaurus (Monte Barbara}, between
Puteoli (Pozzuoli) and Cumae, supplied the scarcely less celebrated
Gauranum. From the bay of Sinuessa, says Pliny H. N. 3. 5,
incipiunt vitiferi colics, et temulentia nobilis succo per omnis terras
inclyto, atque, ut veteres dixere, summum Libert patris cum Cerere
certamen. Hinc Setini et Caecubi obtenduntur agri : his iunguntur
Falerni, Caleni: dein consurgunt Massici, Gaurani, Surrentiniquc
mantes.
' Among the various delicious sweet wines of the Greek islands,
those of Lesbos and Chios seem to have been most relished. Of the
latter, immense quantities must have been imported, if we can
believe the accounts given by Pliny, H. N. 14. 14, of the number
of casks bequeathed by Hortensius to his heir, and of the largesses of
Lucullus upon his return from Asia.'
29. madere, 'to be soaked in wine,' 'to be drunk:' Plaut.
Most. i. 4. 7
Ecquid videor tibi ma ma madere ?
So uvidi Hor. Od. 4. 5. 38 and Tib. 2. 5. 89.
30. maleferre, ' to be scarce able to direct : ' see note on 1.10.6 7.
31. Bene Messallam. A shortened form of toast, for precor
bene valere or valiturum : cp. Plaut. Stich. 5. 4. 26
Tibi propino decem : affunde tibi tute inde si sapis :
Bene vos! bene nos ! bene te! bene me! bene nostrum
etiam Stephanium !
The dative may also be used.
TIBULLUS, II. i., 26-58. 161
34. intonsis. Varro, R. R. 2. n. 10, says shaving was in-
troduced into Rome from Sicily B. c. 300 ; while Pliny, H. N. 7. 59,
attributes the ' daily shave ' to Scipio Africanus. Thus intonsus,
barbatus, incomptus are standing epithets of ' the ancients : ' of a
bold and truthful witness Juv. 16. 31 says,
Et credam dignum barba dignumque capillis
Majorum.
88. Cp. Virg. Geo. i. 8
Liber et alma Ceres, vestro si munere tellus
Chaoniam pingui glandem mutavit arista.
44. irrig-nas, in a transitive sense, ' watering,' as in Virg.
Geo. 4. 32
Irriguumque bibant violaria font em ;
in a passive sense ' well-watered ' in Hor. Sat. 2. 4. 16
Irriguo nihil est elutius horto ;
figuratively id. 2. i. 9
Irriguumque mere sub noctem corpus habento.
46. securos = . cur a, 'without care or anxiety;' here 'that
knows no care,' or possibly ' care-dispelling.'
48. Deponit, 'surrenders.' Cp. Prop. 2. 19. 12 vitem docta
ponere fake comas, comas, of the harvest, annua, ' year by year.'
49. verno goes here with alveo, as with fiore in 1. 59, not with
rure in either line.
51. satiatus, ' having had enough of.'
55. suffusus is here equivalent to inductus. The word is
usually applied to a flush or a paleness under the skin, as Ov. Am. 3.
3. 5, Fast. i. 215; here to something laid over it. Lucr. 6. 479 says
of the clouds,
Suffunduntque sua caelum caligine ;
but that rather suggests the idea that the clouds form a lining to the
sky as looked at from outside its sphere. For the use of red paint,
not only for painting the faces of the gods, but also those of the
worshippers, see above on i. i. 17.
56. ab is not redundant. It denotes the beginning ' from which.'
55, 56. For these early rustic performances see Hor. Ep. 2. I.
I 39~ I 55 and Virg. Geo. 2. 385-396.
58. This line is corrupt, but parcas or curtas seems a certain
correction. The best MS. reading is
Dux pecoris hircus auxerat hircus oves,
which is unmeaning, besides the metrical difficulties involved. The
meaning seems to be that the agricola was enriched by receiving
a hircus as a prize.
1 62 NOTES.
61. exhibitura, ' will occasion,' ' canse ; ' so molestiam alicui
exhibere Cic. Att. 2. I. 2.
64. 'Catullus 64. 312 gives us a most vivid description of the
primitive method of spinning, with the distaff (colus^ and spindle
(fusus} which was common in this country until within a few years,
and is still universally employed by the peasantry of southern Italy
and of Greece : '
Laeva colum molli lana retinebat amictwn;
Dextera turn leviter deducens fila supinis
Formabat digitis ; turn prono in pollice torquens
Libratum tereti versabat turbine fusum :
Atque ita decerpens aequabat semper opus dens,
Laneaque aridulis haerebant morsa labellis,
Quae prius in levi fuerant exstantia filo.
Ante pedes autem candentis mollia lanae
Vellera virgati custodibant calathisci.
Here the left hand holds the distaff with the mass of wool at the
top ; the fingers of the right, palm uppermost, draw down and
gradually shape the fibres which are to form the thread, while the
thumb turned downwards keeps the spindle twirling, assisted by
a weight at the bottom ; as the thread is formed, the spinner
watches that it 'shall come out evenly, biting off any lump or ir-
regularity with her teeth, as neither of her hands is free. In front
are baskets full of the cleaned and carded fleeces wherewith to re-
plenish the distaff. In the present passage apposito pollice refers
to the thumb of the right hand keeping the thread down so as to
give it the proper degree of tension, and at the same time regulating
the motion of the spindle.
65. Minervae, dat. after operata ; see note on 1.9. Minerva is
the patroness of spinning : cp. Hor. Od. 3. 1 2. 5 Operosaeque Miner-
vae studium. The whole operations connected with spinning are to
be seen sculptured on the fragment of the Temple called ' Pallas
Minerva ' in the forum of Augustus at Rome, now forming the front
of a bakery.
66. applauso tela sonat latere. The web (tela\ fitted in
the framework of the loom, rattles as it moves from side to side
when the threads of the woof (subtemett) are driven home by the lay
' ' fecten). This is the operation described by Virg. Geo. i. 15 where
the wife
Arguto tenuis percurnt pecttne telas,
while the peculiar ' rattle ' mentioned is familiar to every one who
TIBULLUS, II. I., 61-86. 163
has passed through a village where hand-looms are still in use. See
the careful description of weaving in Ov. Met. 6. 54
Haud mora, consistunt diversis partibus ambae,
Et gracili geminas intendunt stamine telas.
Tela iugo vincta est ; stamen secernit arundo ;
Inseritur medium radiis subtemen acutis,
Quod digiti cxpediunt, atque inter stamina ductum
Percusso feriunt insecti pecline denies.
73. detraxit, iussit. Perfects of Habit ; what has hap-
pened once may be expected to happen again, so that the tense ex-
pressing a single occasion may stand for a repeated act. A good
instance is Virg. Geo. 4. 214
rege incolumi mens omnibus una est:
Amisso rupere fidem, constructaque mella
Diripuere ipsae.
Cp. Geo. i. 49.
75-79. A charmingly natural picture of a maiden stealthily
getting up in the dead of night, slipping past the slaves who guard
the door, and feeling her way in the dark, by foot and hand, that
she may meet her lover.
77. Pedibus suspensa, 'on tip-toe.'
78. Cp. Ov. Met. 10. 455
Nutricisque manum laeva tenet : altera motu
Caecum iter explorat.
cui manus, ' while her hand.' The force of cut here is not so
much that of simul, or atque etiam, or dum, as Finder says, but
rather is pictorial, as though a picture or a statue were being
described: the foot feeling its way, the expression of fear, the
exploring hand, form evidently one representation ; the two lines
give not-a narrative, but an attitude. So 2. 3. 43, quoted by Finder,
describes a character, not a course of conduct : while Virg. Aen. 4.
1 38 is exactly parallel to the passage before us :
Cui pharetra ex auro, crines nodantur in aurum,
Aurea purpuream subnectit fibula vestem.
In all these cases we may translate by ' while,' using the word how-
ever not in its temporal, but in its adversative, sense.
81. veni dapitras, not so much to, a.s/or, the feast.
83. deum. i. e. Cupid.
pecori, a similar dative to dapibus above ; but the conjunction
of pecori vacate voce, 'call upon him for the flock with the voice,' is
somewhat harsh.
86. Obstrepit, 'makes a din against} i. e. so that your prayer
M 2
1 64 NOTES.
will not be heard. In allusion to the Phrygian, or somewhat
orgiastic, mode of music of which the tibia was the appropriate
instrument, connected especially with the worship of the Phrygian
Cybele. The tibia, flute or flageolet, had various shapes : the Phry-
gian flute was a straight tube of wood, at the end of which was
fastened a curved metallic end (KuSow) like the end of a French horn.
Hence the epithet curva: so Virg. Aen. n. 737, Cat. 63. 22, and
adunco tibia cornu Ov. Met. 3. 531. There were often, however, two
branches proceeding from the same stem ; hence Virg. Aen. 9. 618
biforem dot tibia cantum.
For the various kinds of tibiae see Rich.
88. fulva. This use of the word throws light upon the
colour of Cynthia's hair, Prop. 2. 2. 5, where see note. Not ' brown,'
but ' golden,' ' shining,' is the idea of the word. The stars are
Daughters of the Night, and sport joyously in her train : imitated by
Ov. Met. 3. 683. Theocr. 2. fin. calls the stars
dartpts ev/njXoto KO.T' avrvya. Nu/rros otraSoi.
See Eur. Ion 1150.
89. furvis. The fulvis of some MSS. has evidently dropped
down horn fulva in 1. 88.
90. nigra, not atra, because dreams may be pleasing, and only
the darkness of night is indicated. Ov. Fast. 4. 662 also has somnia
nigra.
incerto pede, of the unstable, indistinct, character of dreams.
II. 5-
M. VALERIUS MESSALLA had two sons, M. Valerius Messallinus,
who was consul along with Cn. Cornelius Lentulus, B. c. 3 ; and
Lucius, who was consul along with Cn. Cornelius Cinna Magnus,
A. D. 5. The latter was adopted into the Aurelian gens, and was
known as L. Aurelius Cotta Volusus, or sometimes as Maximus
Cotta. The former took the name of Messallinus after the death
of his brother. He was the friend of Ovid, to whom the poet
addresses two of the epistles written in exile, E. ex P. 3. 2 and 5.
Tacitus, Ann. 3. 34, mentions Marcus in honourable terms :
Valerius Messallinus cui parens Messalla, ineratque imago patemae
facundiae. 'The present Elegy was composed, probably about
B. C. 16, to celebrate the admission of Marcus, the elder, into the
college of the quindecimviri, the fifteen priests to whom was com-
mitted the custody of the Sibylline Books. These prophecies
TIBULLUS, II. 5. 165
occupied a conspicuous place in the history of the internal affairs of
Rome, and formed, for a long period, a political engine of great
power. They were originally deposited in a stone chest, under
ground, in the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, and were committed to
the charge of inspectors or commissioners chosen from among the
patricians, whose duty it was to consult them when authorised by
the Senate. The number of commissioners was originally two, who
were styled duumviri sacrorum or duumviri libris adetmdis. In the
year B. c. 368, a bill was brought in by the tribunes to increase the
number of commissioners from two to ten, with the condition that
one-half of these should be plebeians. After great opposition, the
bill was carried the following year, and continued in force until the
dictatorship of Sulla, by whom the number was further augmented
to fifteen.
' The books remained in safety until the year B. c. 83. when they
were destroyed in the conflagration which consumed the temple of
Jupiter Capitolinus. The Senate, upon the restoration of the shrine,
nominated three ambassadors, who were enjoined to visit the cities
of Italy and Greece, and especially to pass over to Erythrae in Asia,
for the purpose of collecting any Sibylline oracles which might be
preserved either in sanctuaries or by private individuals. In this
manner about a thousand lines were procured and brought to Rome 1 .
When Augustus entered upon the duties of the high priesthood, he
commanded that all books of prophecies, resting upon no sufficient
authority, of which upwards of a thousand were in circulation,
should be brought together and burned 2 . He then directed his
attention to the Sibylline verses preserved by the State, and took
great pains to separate the genuine from such as were deemed
spurious. The former were transcribed by the pontifices, and de-
posited in two gilded cases in the Temple of Palatine Apollo
(Ammianus 23). A fire, in the time of Julian the Apostate, nearly
destroyed this second edition of the Sibylline verses, and all writings
of this description which remained were finally swept away by an
edict of the emperor Honorius. The compilation now extant under
the name of " Sibyllina Oracula " is well known to be a forgery.'
As the Sibylline books were now kept in the Temple of the
Palatine Apollo, the ceremony of inauguration was held in the same
1 Fenestella quoted by Lactant. i. 6 and Dionys. as above.
2 Tacit. Ann. 6. 12; Suet. Octav. 31; Dion. 54. 17. Tiberius
made a similar clearance, see Dion. 57. 18.
166 NOTES.
place. The dedication of that temple is described by Prop. 2. 31 ;
see Hor. Od. i. 31.
3. impellere chordas, i. e. ' of my lyre.'
4. meas. Lachmann's conjecture mea should be adopted, i. e.
' bend my words to praise.' Hiller adopts the conjecture novas.
5. triumphal!, in allusion probably to the triumph of the
father.
6. cumulant. So Virg. Aen. n. 49 Cumulatque altaria donis.
7. nitidus pulcherque. Characteristic epithets of Apollo :
' the radiant, handsome god. '
8. Sepositam, ' laid aside ' for great days : in Scottish phrase,
' put past.' The god was to deck himself out for the great day ' in
his braws.' So Ovid in exile, on his birthday,
Quaeque semel toto vestis mihi sumitur anno
Sumatur fatis discolor alba tneis
Trist. 5. 5. 7.
9. 1O. These lines represent Apollo as the singer of Zeus'
great triumph in his contest with the Giants. Seneca in the same
way speaks of Apollo as singing dignified strains at the previous
victory over the Titans, Agam. 331. Horace, following the more
usual account, makes Apollo take a leading part in the conflict
along with Pallas, Vulcan, and Juno, in the fine passage Od. 3. 4.
53 -64, his warlike character being especially insisted on in the line
Numquam humeris positurus arcum.
Of all the curious identifications invented by the Romans in their
anxiety to connect Italian mythology with that of Greece, none is
more strange than their belief that their own Saturnus was the
same as the Greek Kronos. According to Greek mythology, Kronos
was youngest and chief of the Titans: who, having deposed and
mutilated their father Uranus, were themselves vanquished in turn
by his sons the Kronidae. headed by Zeus. Zeus and his brothers
and sisters became thus the ruling powers, and maintained their
position against three successive assaults: (i) from the Giants; (2)
from the monster Typhon or Typhoeus ; and (3) from the Aloidae,
Otus and Ephialtes. Horace only connects Apollo with these
later struggles ; Tibullus, in the lines before us, as also Seneca, makes
him take part in the original victory over Kronos and the Titans. But
these great dynastic struggles are altogether foreign to the character
of Saturnus. Saturnus was an Italian god of agriculture and plenty. :
his name being obviously connected with sat, satur, etc., from the
root sa (Germ, sderi), whence sero and our ' sow/ The native story
made him a king of Italy, who reached its shores in the reign of
TIBULLUS, II. 5., 3-25. 167
Janus, introduced agriculture, wealth (his wife was called Ops}, and
the civilised arts of life, and settled on the hanks of the Tiber on the
height originally called Satiirnia, subsequently known as the Capi-
tolium. This account is given in detail by Virgil, Aen. 8. 314 sqq.
and 355, where Saturnus is represented as coming direct from
Olympus after his defeat by Jupiter. The one intelligible connec-
tion between the two is that Hesiod, Op. ill, tells us that the
golden age on earth was while Kronos ruled in heaven : an idea
which exactly fitted in with the Italian idea of Saturnus, a god of
peace and plenty, in whose days war and greed and wrong were
alike unknown.
11-16. In these lines the four principal methods of divination
are enumerated: (i) From the flight of birds (augurium) ; (2) by
lots (per sortes}, see note on Tib. i. 3. n ; (3) by the entrails of
victims (Jiaruspicina) ; (4) by consulting the Sibylline books.
11. eventura vides. So Apollo says of himself, 3. 4. 47
At mihi fatoruin leges, aevique futuri
Eventura pater posse videre dedit,
which expresses the sense of the well-known line, Aesch. Eum. 19
AIOJ TipotyrjTijs tarl Aot'aj irarpus.
12. fati goes with quid, rather than with provida.
13. Tiberius, with his strong and hard common sense, wished to
do away with the oracles near the city : sed maiestate Praenestinarum
sortium territus destitit Suet. 63.
14. Xiubrica, both literally, of the entrails themselves, and also
figuratively, of the difficulty of their interpretation.
notis. Nota here = Gk. arji^tiov.
16. Thus the Sibylline answers were expressed in Dactylic
Hexameters. They were in Greek.
19. The commentators have no reason for imagining a response
given to Aeneas before starting on his wanderings by the Sibyl of
Erythrae. Obviously Tibullus alludes to the visit to the Cumaean
Sibyl as told by Virgil.
21-38 form a long parenthesis on the topic which the Roman
poets dwelt on with peculiar complacency, viz. the appearance pre-
sented by the site of the future Rome in the time of Aeneas.
23. formaverat. Probably firmaverat (i. e. with a rampart),
found in some MSS., should be read. Cp. Prop. 3. 9. 50.
25. pascebant. Virg. also uses the active form of the verb in
an intransitive sense: Geo. I. 143
Saitibus in vacuis pascunt.
1 68 NOTES.
27. Lacte madens, i. e. from the offering of the worshippers:
cp. on i.i. 36.
29. vottun, ' the offering.'
30. silvestri deo, i. e. Silvanus.
31. ' A Pandean pipe, made of several stalks of the reed or cane,
of unequal length and bore, fastened together and cemented with
wax: hence called aruttdo cerata Ov. Met. u. 154; Suet. Jul. 32.'
Rich. See Virg. E. 2. 35
Est mihi disparibus septem compacta cicutis
Fistula.
33. The Velabrum was the level ground or ' haugh ' between
the Capitol, Palatine, and Aventine, extending from the river to the
Forum. It was a swamp, until drained by the Cloaca Maxima, and
was constantly flooded by the Tiber. Cp. Prop. 4. 9. 5
Qua Velabra suo stagnabant flumine, quaque
Nauta per urbanas velificabat aquas.
It was in such a flood that the cradle with the twins was floated to
the foot of the Palatine. Cp. Ov. Fast. 6. 405 sqq
35-33. The rustic maiden ferries across the lake on a holiday
to visit her sweetheart, owner of a rich flock, and returns home with a
gift of a lamb and a cheese. The magistro is, of course, the same
person as the iuvemm.
35. placitura, ' to meet,' ' for the sake of.'
39. The proper subject of the poem is here resumed. The pro-
phecy of the Sibyl to Aeneas begins with the words ' linpiger
Aenea'
frater Amoris, because Cupid or Amor, like Aeneas, was the
son of Venus This relationship to the volatile Amor of the staid,
pious Aeneas is very rarely touched on by the poets. It is to be
noted all through the history of Aeneas, especially as told in the
Aeneid, that Venus herself always appears in a higher character, and
discards the lighter elements of her nature, in relation to her ex-
emplary son. The story of Rome required that Venus should be
represented as a noble, dignified matron, worthy of her place as the
progenitrix of the Roman race. To effect this result, the ennobling
features of the maternal relationship are worked out in a way which
is very true to nature.
41. Laurentes agros. The Laurens ager, or territory of
Laurentum, was that on which Aeneas first landed when he disem-
barked on the south bank of the Tiber. It is to be noted how care-
fully the Aeneas legend has invented stepping-stones to connect
Rome naturally with Troy and Aeneas. The native Roman tra-
TIBULLUS, II. 5., 27-53. 169
dition pointed to Alba Longa as the cradle of the race : thus the
Trojans had to be brought to Alba. But how was Alba to be reached
by a small colony arriving by sea ? They sail up the Tiber, land
near its month, on the territory of Latinus, king of Laurentum. Their
first encampment is called Laurentia castra Aen. ro. 635. The
war over, Aeneas marries Lavinia, and founds a new settlement,
which he calls after his wife Lavinium, well on the way to Alba.
Thirty years later his son Ascanius moves the remaining step, and
transfers the government to Alba. The motive of the whole story is
plain. The laurus still grows in profusion on the low sandy tract
where Aeneas landed.
43, 44. Cp. Liv. i. 2 Secundum inde praeliitm Latinis,
Aeneae etiam ultimum operum mortalium fuit. Situs est, quemcun-
que eum did ius fasque est, super Numicium faimen ; lovem Indi-
getem appellant. See Ov. Met. 14. 598. Topographers generally
identify a small stream called the Rio Torto with the Numicius ;
and Pratica, which lies close to it, with Lavinium.
44. caelo miser it. Note the construction. It is not so much
that caelo stands for ad caelum, as that miserit has a trajective force :
' handed over to,' ' transferred.' In the case of caelum, the idea of
motion towards, as if it were a terrestrial journey, is put out of sight.
Thus Italiae miserit would be impossible.
47. mihi lucent. A good example of the Dot. Ethicus. ' I
see the camp blazing.' Here the camp of Turnus is burnt : an inci-
dent not given by Virgil.
49. Ante oculos, i.e. in prophecy: she sees the whole future
course of Roman history.
51. placitnra. Cp. above, 3. 35. Here, of course, no inten-
tion is signified : ' destined to find favour in the eyes of.'
52. deseroisse. The effect of the perfect here (with the
present-perfect sense) is to add vividness, as if the scene were being
enacted before her eyes : ' thou hast left the Vestal hearth.'
53. furtim, going closely with concubitus, has the force of an
adjective. The explanation is not so much that the phrase is a
Graecism, = ras \d0pa awovalas, as Orelli puts it a mode of
expression contrary to the genius of Latin, which has no article
but rather it is an elliptical phrase, the adverb being taken with a
participle suggested naturally by the context. Thus iterum consul
stands for iterum consul creatus ; populum late regem Virg. Aen. I .
2 1 suggests late rcgnantem ; omnes circa popiili Liv. is short for
circa habitantes.
iacentes, as if she could no longer wear the maiden's fillet.
1 70 NOTES.
57. fatale has by no means the same meaning as our word
' fatal.' It denotes simply what is ordained by, or done in accordance
with the will of, the fates, i.e. ' fated.' It thus carries with it neces-
sarily a serious and solemn, but not necessarily a disastrous, meaning.
Thus Cic. Div. 2. "]. 9 Omnia quae fiunt quaeque futura sunt ex
omni aeternitale definita dicis esse fataliter. So fatalitcr mori Eutr.
i. ii is 'to die a natural death,' i. e. one that comes in the regular
course of fate.
terris regfendis is the dative denoting the end or sphere with
respect to which the decree of destiny applies.
58-60. i.e. over the whole habitable globe, from east to west.
Lines 59 and 60 are an expression and definition of qua prospicit arva.
59. Qnaque . . . et. ' Both where . . . and.'
ortus, not in connection with solis in 1. 60, but used absolutely.
' The rising ' = ' the East.'
patent, used not with reference to the wide realms of the East,
but to the opening day. Cp. the fine lines of Virg. Geo. i. 250
Nosque ubi primus equis Oriens afflavit anhelis,
Illic sera rubcns accendit lumina Vesper,
60. amnis, for the Ocean : Homer's itora^oio ftiOpa wxtavov
II. 14. 245, and irapa f>6ov uwtavoio 16. 151. Cp. Tib. 3. 4. 18
lam nox aetherium nigris emensa quadrigis
Mundtim caeruleo laverat amne rotas.
In II. 21. 195 Achilles says no river can contend with Zeus, not
even Ocean :
ou5 fiaOvppf'iTao ptya ffOevos 'ClKtavoTo,
l ovirtp irdvrfs iroranol real waaa Od\aaaa,
Kal iraffai Kpfjvat at <pp(iara fMKpd. vdovfft.
61. se mirabitur. Cp. the slang phrase of a conceited per-
son : ' fancies himself.' Troy will plume herself upon the greatness
of her offspring Rome.
62. tarn longa via, ' that you have done well in taking so
long a voyage.'
63. The use of sic, like our word so, is frequent in vows or ad-
jurations, and always bears the same meaning, viz. ' on this condi-
tion.' The clause with sic has its verb in the subjunctive, or rather
optative, mood ; and it is always attached to another clause in
which either (a) a statement, or () a prayer, is made. The ' con-
dition ' to which sic refers is either (a) that the statement made is
true ; or (b) that the prayer preferred be granted. The passage before
us is an example of (a). Vera cano, ' what I sing is true.' Sic,
'On this condition, and on this condition only (viz. that I sing
TIBULLUS, II. 5., 57-63. 171
the truth), may I continue to feed on the sacred laurel unharmed,
and preserve my maiden purity.' In other words, she is willing to
risk her future position as priestess on the truth of her statements.
Precisely similar is our own form of oath, 'So help me God;' before
which comes the promise, ' I speak, or will speak, the truth.' In
other words, ' I am willing to rest all my hopes of help from God
upon the truth of my statements.' Sometimes, instead of a de-
claratory indicative, as here vera cano, we have tit before the in-
dicative, as ut vera cano. The meaning would still bo the same :
' as I tell,' ' as surely as I tell,' ' in proportion as I tell, the truth, so,
on that condition, may such and such a thing happen to me.' An
excellent instance of this is Catull. 45. 13-16
Sic, inquit, mea vita, Septimille,
Huic uni domino usque serviamus,
Ut multo mihi maior acriorque
Ignis mollibus ardet in medullis,
i. e. ' So, on this condition, may we ever be slaves to the God of
Love as it is true that a fiercer flame burns in my heart than in
thine.' She risks the hope of their future happiness on the truth
of her protestation. Cp. Ov. Met. 8. 867.
In case (b~), where a prayer is preferred, the main clause has an
imperative instead of an indicative, with or without ut : thus Virg.
E. 10. I sqq.
Extremum hunc, Arethusa, mihi concede laborem:
Sic tibi, quum fluctus praeterlabere Sicanos,
Doris amara suam non intermisceat undam,
i. e. ' If thou grantest my prayer, I will pray in turn for thee that,'
etc. Exactly similar are Virg. E. 9. 30 sqq. ; Ov. Her. 4. 168 ; ib. 3.
135 ; Hor. Od. I. 3. I, 7 ; ib. i. 28. 23, 27, and below 1. 121. In all
cases alike sic goes with an optative verb. We may thus typify in
a simple form the three possible constructions :
(1) Vera dico : sic felix sim ;
(2) Ut vera dico, sic felix sim;
i. e. ' may my future happiness depend upon the truth of what I
say.'
(3) Die mihi vera: sic felix sis;
i. e. ' Tell me the truth, and may your future happiness depend
upon your telling it.'
63, 64. laurus Vescar. ' The Pythia, before she ascended
the tripod, bathed in the water of Castalia, crowned herself with
laurel, and chewed its leaves to increase the inspiration. This is what
Lycophron terms ^.a<pvrj(payaii' IK Kainuv ana, " a voice proceeding
172 NOTES.
from a laurel-eating throat," and so also Lucian, in the Bis Accusat.
fj wpofiavTis iriovaa rov Ifpov vaftiros xa.1 naffafttvr) rfjs 8d(pi>T)s, etc.'
63. innoxia, ' in a passive sense, " suffering no harm," " un-
harmed." So Lucan 9. 891
Gens unica terras
Incolit a saevo serpentum innoxia morsn.
We find it also in the active sense of " doing no harm," in Plaut.
Capt. 3. 5. 7
Decet innocentem servum atque innoxium
Confidentem esse, suum apud herum potissimum.
In like manner innocuus signifies either " harmless," or, " unhurt."
1. Innocuum rigido perforat ense lotus
Ov. Trist. 3. 9. 26.
2. Donee rostra tenent siccum, et ssdere carinae
Omnes innocuae
Virg. Aen. 10. 301.'
64. Vescar is here followed by the accusative. Lucretius, and
still more frequently Plautus, use verbs like potior, fruor, fungor,
utor with the accusative. This phenomenon has not as yet been
satisfactorily explained. The ablative after these verbs is required by
their original, not their acquired meaning. Thus vescor means, ' I feed
on,' utor, ' I employ myself by,' etc. We should naturally expect that
the ablative would be more rigorously insisted on in the infancy of
the language, when the original meaning of the words still survived,
than when by frequent use they had acquired a conventional mean-
ing. It would seem that in grammar, as in prosody, the knowledge
of Greek brought with it an artificial tendency towards purism
which forced the literary language into a conventional correctness,
from which it again burst itself free upon the decay of letters. It
certainly is remarkable that what are called the corruptions of a
debased age should appear in some instances in the earliest records
of the language.
66. Her hair, after the manner of inspired priestesses and
modern poets was tossed back in disorder from her forehead.
67-70. ' These lines present many difficulties, and the text has
been moulded into various forms by different editors. The general
meaning of the passage is clear enough. The prophecy of the
Sibyl, who foretold to Aeneas the high fortunes of his posterity,
being concluded, the poet continues, " Other Sibyls, it is true, pre-
dicted the appearance of many prodigies ominous of woe, and these
portents have already been made manifest, but may Apollo ward off
all calamities in time coming." Some of these prophetesses of evil
TIBULLUS, II. 5., 63-70. 173
are specified in the lines before us, in which Tibullus seems to have
taken at random names commonly current, without investigating
very closely their origin or their relations to each other.
' Amalthea is in Varro 1 the Sibylla Cumana, who, he says, by
others is called Herophile or Demophile. Again Herophile, in
Pausanias, is the Sibylla Erythraea, but he quotes certain verses,
said to be composed by herself, in which she declares that she was a
native of Marpessus 2 , a city of which, Pausanias adds, traces still
remained in his time upon Phrygian Ida. A Marpessus, however, in
this situation is mentioned by no other ancient authority 3 , while
Stephanus Byzantinus *, Suidas and others place a Mermessus on
this very spot. Hence Salmasius would change Mdpwrjffffos, in
Pausanias, into Vlep/Jirjffffos, and read Mermessia in Tibullus, instead of
Marpessia. But whether we adopt Marpessia or Mermessia, it must be
taken as an epithet of Herophile, and the punctuation of Huschke,
Quidquid Amalthea, quidquid Mermessia dixit,
Herophile Phoebo grataque quod monuit,
by which Mermessia is made to indicate a personage distinct from
Herophile, can scarcely be received. On the other hand, if we place
the comma after Herophile, as in our text, the words Phoebo
grataque quod monuit stand isolated without any noun to which
grata can be referred. Hence critics have supposed that Phoebo has
been substituted by some ignorant transcriber for the name of a
Sibyl, and Vossius would substitute Demo, who, according to Hy-
perochus, was the Cumana, while Lachmann conjectures Phaeto
Graiaque ; *ura> (Phyto Huschke), in Suidas, being the Samian
Sibyl.' Killer reads Phyto Grata quod admonuit. In Cat 66. 58
the MSS. read Gratia, where Lachmann has restored Grata.
' The next couplet, if we follow the best MSS., and read Albana
. . . Tiberis is absolutely unintelligible. The description, given by
Varro, of the tenth Sibyl seems to afford the clue required to guide
us. Decimam Tiburtem, nomine Albuneam ; quae Tiburi colitur, ut
Dea, iuxta ripas amnis Anicnis ; cuius in gurgite simulacrum ems
1 Serv. Aen. 6. 72 says it is not clearly known which of the
Sibyls composed the Roman oracles, yet it is certain that they were
brought to Tarquin by a woman named Amalthea.
2 Salmasius, however, has a very happy conjecture, according to
which the Sibyl will declare that she herself was of Erythrae, and
the Nymph, her mother, of Mermessus.
3 Except Varro ap. Lactant., and the reading is disputed.
* Mep^crffds, iroXts Tpow/nj, d<f>' fa i) 'Epv6paia 20v\\a. The MSS.
have also Mi5p/tr<ros, and Suidas Mdp/<7(roy.
174 NOTES.
inventum esse dicitur, tenens in manu librum. Cuius sacra (some
MSS. sortes} senatus in Capitolium transtulerit. From this, Sca-
liger, with much plausibility, conjectured Albuna, instead of Albana,
although Aniana (i e. Aniend) Tibitrs, which appears in some
Italian MSS., is, perhaps, to be preferred.'
71-78. This passage describes the portents which took place
before Caesar's assassination, and bears a marked likeness to the
similar passages Hor. Od. I. 2. 1-20, and Virg. Geo. i. 466-492.
In 11. 466-8 the darkening of the sun after the eclipse of B. c. 44 is
referred to :
Ilk etiam exstincto missratus Caesare Romam,
Quum caput obscura nitidum ferrugine texit,
Impiaque aeternam timuerunt saecula noctem.
This phenomenon is specially mentioned by Plin. H. N. 2. 30, and
Plutarch.
72. deplneret, the proper tense after dixerunt fore ut. Note
this extreme case of the misplacement of que. It comes after the
fifth word in the sentence.
74. Audita. i. e. audita esse
lucos; cp. Virg. Geo. I. 476
Vox quoque per lucos vulgo exaudita silentes
Ingens.
75. defectnm lumine, for the more usual defuientem ; lit.
'worn out,' 'enfeebled in its light,' as Ov. Fast. 3. 674. So exactly
Luc. x. 280 Defectusque cpulis et pastus caede duorum.
76. pallentes . . . equos. Plut. says of the sun throughout
that year caxpos ^v 6 KVK\OS not nappapv-yas OVK t\orv. Prop. 3.
5. 34 so/is atratis equis is not in point, as that passage points to
mourning, this to the sun's having lost his wonted fires.
79. fuerant. The tense puts all this catalogue of ill portent
far back into the past and gone.
Horace in like manner, Od. I. 2. 29, turns first to Apollo to
cleanse the people from the guilt of which the portents were a sign.
80. indomitis, implying that the waters have power to wash
off every pollution, however great. Monstrous births, etc., were
thrown into the sea.
81. At sacrifices, and especially in magical incantations, laurel
leaves were thrown into the fire, and omens were drawn from their
modes of crackling. Prop. 2. 28. 35
deficiunt magico sub carmine rhombi,
Et facet extincto laurus adusta foto.
TIBULLUS, II. 5., 71-93- 17.5
And the witch in Virg. E. 8. 83 says
Daphnis me malus urit, ego hanc in Daphnide laurum.
Cp. Theocr. 2. 24. Compare our own divination by burning chest-
nuts, etc., on the night of Halloween.
83. ubi, not exactly =postquam, ' as soon as ' (Find.) ; but
rather a general statement ' in cases where,' and so = ' when-
ever.'
85. Oblitus musto, a universal incident of wine-pressing ;
but the words also suggest a general idea of abundance.
86. As already stated on i. i. 10, the locus was the large
cistern into which the mustum the new-pressed grape-juice was
received from the press ; the dolia were the large vats in which the
fermentation was completed. Cato's direction R. R. 113 is as
follows, De lacu quamprimum vinum in dolia indito, post dies
xl diffundito in amphoras.
deflciantque. Here again que is misplaced. It will be
observed that when this particular place in the Pentameter the
commencement of the second Penthemimer is occupied by a verb,
it seems specially privileged to carry with it a postponed que. See
again 1. 90 transilietque.
87. The Palilia, or Partita, as we have seen, was the feast of
Pales who, according to Tibullus, Virgil, and Ovid, was a goddess,
but a god according to Varro which was held on the 2ist of April,
the supposed birthday of Rome. Ovid gives a detailed account of
the various purifications gone through, and prayers offered upon this
day, Fast. 4. 721 sqq. The characteristic ceremony of the day was
leaping across heaps of blazing hay and straw, his Palilibus se
expiaricredentesVz.no ap. Schol. Pers. i. 72.
sua, because the Palilia was essentially the shepherd's feast.
80. For the leaping over the straw bonfires see Prop. 4. 4. 73
and notes. Both poets make it an essential part of the ceremony
that the leaper should be madidus and potus.
91. fetus dabit, ' will bear offspring,' being blest with fertility.
92. The ancients were curious in kisses. The Greeks had a
special name for the kiss indicated in the text, calling it X" T P a > or
the Pitcher-kiss, because the kisser held the kissee by the ears as one
would hold a pitcher (such as the amphora) by its two handles.
The Latin name was Osculum Florentinum. Whole books have
been written containing enumerations and descriptions of the various
modes in which kisses can be given and received.
93. Grandpapa was to stay at home and ' keep ' or ' mind '
the baby.
\-]6 NOTES.
1. 93 implies that the child was put to sleep; but in 1. 94 he
wakes up, and has to be amused with baby-language.
95. operata deo. See above on 2. I. 9.
discumbet. Properly used of a number of people sitting down
to a meal, each taking his proper place. But it is also used of
a single person, Juv. 5. 12
Primo fige loco quod tu discumbere iussus,
i. e. ' when invited to dinner.'
96. levis umbra. Surely the epithet levis needs no explana-
tion. Finder after D. laboriously explains it as either ' the glancing,
wavy shade,' or ' airy,' ' not close and oppressive from the boughs
being low.' How levis could bear either meaning is not stated.
97. Cp. above 2. r. 24.
98. stabit, i. e. on the table. For coronatus cp. Virg. Aen. 1. 724
Crateras magnos statuunt et vina coronant.
So Geo. 2. 528. Wreaths of flowers were twined round the goblets,
as well as round the heads of the drinkers.
101. Ing-eret, a word specially used of opprobrious language.
102. Postmodo, ' after a while.'
103. snae apparently must go with ferus : ' he that was late
so cruel to his love.'
1O5. Face tua, called in the P. S. Lat. Primer an 'Ablative of
Condition.' It is, in reality, an ablative of attendant circumstance,
closely allied to the ablative absolute. ' There being peace, i. e. no
objection, on thy part.'
108. dedlt . . . malnm, ' wrought mischief to,' ' injured.' Cp.
the old repartee of the Metelli to the poet Naevius :
Dabunt malum Metelli Naevio poetae.
110. faveo morbo, ' foster or encourage my distemper/ make no
effort to throw it off. Note cum iaceo, cum iuvat, as in Plautus, where
we should expect the subjunctive. Or the indie, may denote duration
of time, as in multi sunt anni cum in aere meo est, Cic. Fam. 15. 14.
111. mini nnllns. A very unusual ending for a hexameter.
Nemesis. The second flame of our poet : Ov. Am. 3. 9. 31
Sic Nemesis longiim, sic Delia nomen habebunt,
Altera euro, recens, altera primus amor.
116. Referring to the representations or models of captured towns
carried along as part of a triumphal procession, Hor. Ep. 2. I. 193
Captivum portatur ebur, captiva Corinthus ;
also Prop. 3. 4. 1 6 and note.
119. pia, here used of the father's affection for the son.
121. Auntie : sic . . . sint. Cp. note on 1. 63.
TIBULLUS, II. 5., 9511. 6., 1-3. 177
II. 6.
THE poet Aemilius Macer had gone forth to the wars; taking
courage from his example, and distracted by the cruelties and caprice
of his beloved Nemesis, Tibullus determines to buckle on his armour
and to cure himself of his love by absence. But alas! the very
thought of leaving Nemesis behind unmans him ; once more he turns
and implores her to take pity on him. Hope will not desert him :
he implores her by the memory of her sister, who had died by a
tragic and untimely death, to heal his wounds and restore him to
her favour.
1. Macer. We have to distinguish between two contempora-
neous poets of the same name.
(1) Aemilius Macer of Verona, who according to the Eusebian
chronicle died in Asia B.C. 16. He was apparently a friend of
Virgil, for Serv. ap. E. 5 says that by Mopsus intelligitur Aemilius
Macer Veronensis poeta, amicus Vergili. He wrote a poem on
birds, snakes, and plants, as appears from Ov. Trist. 4. 10. 43
Saepe suos volucres legit mihi grandior aevo
Quaeque necet serpens, quae iuvet herba, Macer.
Manilius alludes to this poem Astr. 2. 43 in similar terms. Quin-
tilian contrasts him with Lucretius, whom he terms difficilis, while
Macer is humilis, both being elegantes in sua materia.
(2) The Macer addressed by Ovid in Am. 2. 18 and in E. P.
2. 10. 13, and therefore alive in B.C. 12. Ovid speaks of him as an
old companion, and thus describes his poetry :
Tu canis aeterno quidquid restabat Homero,
Ne careant summa Troica bella manu.
In E. P. 4. 16. 6 he calls him Iliacus Macer, which implies that
there were two of the name, and that one of them was known as a
compiler of Homeric poems. See Wernsdorff on the Homeristae
Latini hi his Poetae Latini Minores.
quid fiet Amori. 'What will become of Love?' Fiet in this
sense is constructed both with (a) the dative, and (b) the ablative :
the former being the dative of the thing or person affected, 'what
will happen to;' the latter being the ablative of the instrument,
' what will be done by or with.' Thus for (a) see Liv. 45. 39 Quid
deinde tarn opimae praedae, tarn opulentae victoriae spoliisfiet ? So
Ov. A. A. i. 536 ; for (F) Cic. Epp. Att. 6. I Quid illo fiet quern
reliquero ? quid me autem si non tarn cito decedo ?
3. vaga, ' unstable,' ' uncertain.' So Tib. 2. 3. 39
Praeda vago iussit geminare pericula ponto,
N
178 NOTES.
4. ad latns, i. e. 'at the side of Macer.' Claude fe latus is a
regular word for walking side by side with a person, especially on
the left side. Cp. Hor. Sat. 2. 5. 18
Utne tegam spurco Damae latus ?
5. lire here = ' torture,' from the practice of branding slaves,
especially runaways. So Tib. i. 9. 21
Ure meum potius flamma caput, et pete ferro
Corpus, et intorto verbere terga seca.
6. erronem, a wandering or loitering slave. Hence here of a
truant soldier.
7. hie quoque, i. e. himself. Hie is the pronoun of the first
person, as iste is of the second and ille of the third.
8. Zpse, i. e. as a common soldier or gregarius, who had to
perform all duties for himself. The helmet was the soldier's natural
drinking-cup : Prop. 3. 12. 9
Tu tamen iniecta tectus, vesane, lacerna,
Potabis galea fessus Araxis aquam.
levem apparently is intended to suggest the simpleness of his
fare, and the humble scale on which his comforts are supplied.
10. mihi facta tuba est seems to mean ' the trump has
sounded for me,' ' I obey the trumpet-call.'
11. Magna loquor, 'big words!' So in Greek fjifya drrtiy,
fj.CYa\T) f\>aaa, etc., and Hor. of Apollo 4. 6. I magnae vindicem
linguae. We have the converse Ov. Met. 6. 151
Cedere caelitibus verbisque minor i bus uti.
12. Excutiunt. Finder scarcely gives the force when he
translates ' dash to the ground,' or ' empty of their force.' Excutio
is ' to shake out,' and is properly applied to clothes or materials of
any kind when shaken out to see what they contain. Thus of a sus-
pected person it is ' to search,' as Plin. H. N. 7. 36, of a girl visiting
her mother in prison, a ianitore semper excussa ne quid inferret cibi.
Of mental sifting and examination, Pers. i. 49
nam belle hoc excute totum :
Quid non intus habet?
' Shake out the meaning of these " Bravos : " what will you not find
contained in them ? ' Of offering the inmost heart to be read, Pers.
5- ao
tibi . . .
Excutienda damus praecordia,
' I present my heart to be shaken out by,' i. e. ' laid bare to, to you.'
So here ' the sight of the closed door shakes all my brave words out
of me.' Cp. Cic. pro Sull. 8.
TIBULLUS, II. 6., 4-4 1. 179
16. aspiciamque. See note on 2. 5. 86.
18. nefanda loqui, ' to talk blasphemy.'
22. fenore reddat. The field is said to give back what is
put into hfenot?, just as a borrower is said pecuniam accipere fenore,
i.e. ' at 'interest,' ' on terms of interest," an ordinary modal ablative.
Cum fenore is also used, as in the parallel passage Ov. R. A. 173
Obrue versata Cerealia semina terra
Quae tibi cum multo fenore reddat ager.
26. The change of subject in canit is harsh. It has to be sup-
plied from vinctum.
Ovid imitates this passage, E. P. i. 6. 31, of Hope,
Haec facit ut vivat vinctus quoque compede fossor:
Liberaque a ferro crura futura putet.
29. immatura ossa, as Finder remarks, is an expression after
the manner of Propertius : but Propertius would have introduced it
less harshly.
parce . . . Sic . . . quiescat. See note on I. 5. 63.
30. tenera, probably 'which lightly presses on.' Cp. Pers. 1.37
Non levior cippus nunc inprimit ossa?
and the common formula on tombs S. T. T. L. i.e. sit tibi terra
levis.
31. miM, ' in my eyes.'
34. cum cinere querar, i.e. 'complain to? after the analogy of
pugnare cum, 'to quarrel with a person,' or of any act which requires
more than one person for the doing of it.
35. clientem. As though he had formally ranged himself as
her client, and therefore was entitled to her aid.
36. lenta, i. e. ' slow in hearing my prayer,' and so ' obdurate.'
41. Desind, read by all the best MSS. One of the very few
cases in the Augustan poets where final o in a verb is short, with the
exception of scio, nescio, puto, volo. See Ramsay's Latin Prosody
on o final. Probably desine should be read.
HI. 3-
As to the genuineness of the 3rd Book of Tibullus, see the
Introduction. It presents obvious differences of style, if compared
with Books i and 2.
The writer is separated from Neaera, and laments that neither
vows nor offerings have effected their re-union. He has sought not
wealth nor splendour, only to have her love, and to live till old age
N 2
180 NOTES.
in her company. Poverty with her were happiness : without her not
kingdoms, not all the riches of Pactolus, can bring content. In con-
clusion, he prays that if the Fates have indeed ordained that their
separation is to be eternal, he may speedily pass down to the gloomy
realms of Orcus.
1. caelum votis imylesse. So Virg. Aen. 9. 24
oneravitque aethera donis.
2. Blanda, i. e. ' propitiating," ' likely to win favour.' In Plaut.
Cas. 2. 3. 55 Rxpcriemur nostrum uter sit blandior, 'which of us
two is the more persuasive.' So Prop. 4. 6. 5 blandi turis honor es,
and Hor. Od. 3. 23. 17
Non sumptuosa blandior hostia.
5. renovarent, 'plough up anew.' So novalis or novale,
'fallow land,' Virg. Geo. i. 71, or 'land ploughed for the first time,'
Plin. H. N. 7. 5. 3.
7. sociarem, ' share.'
8. caderet, 'fail,' almost = occideret.
13. Phrygfiis. The Phrygian marble was one of those most
highly prized at Rome, when all the quarries of Europe were opened
up to fulfil Augustus' famous boast 'that he had found Rome
made of brick, and left her made of marble.' This marble is of a
white colour, seamed with wavy streaks of purple, and came from a
village near Synnada, in Phrygia Magna, whence it is often called
lapis Synnachius. It is called Pavonazetto by antiquaries, and is
found in considerable fragments in Rome. Statius, Silv. i. 5. 36, thus
describes it along with Numidian marble :
Sola nitet flavis Nomadum decisa metallis
Purpura, sola cavo Phrygiae quam Synnados antro
Ipse cruentavit maculis liventibus Atys.
14. Taenare. Black marble was obtained from the promontory
of Taenarum in Laconia (C. Matapan) and is now known as nero
antico. There was another Lacedaemonian marble, green in colour
(serpentino), from Mount Taygetus.
Caryste. Carystus was in Euboea. The marble obtained
there was white and green, and in consequence of its being streaked
like the outer coat of an onion, is called cippolino. References to
these marbles are perpetual in the Latin poets. Martial enumerates
the three above-mentioned, with the Numidian, or common yellow
marble (giallo antico), 9. 76. 6 ', "
Idem beatus lautus extruit thermos
De marmore omni, quod Carystos invenit,
TIBULLUS, ill. 3., 1-28. 181
Quod Phrygia Synnas, Afra quod Nomas mitt it,
Et quod virenti fonte lavit Eurotas.
15. The wealthy Romans had gardens and shrubberies behind
their houses, surrounded and enclosed by peristyles or colonnades,
where they might sit, walk, or even drive, protected from rain in
winter, or from noontide heat in summer. The remains of Hadrian's
villa near Tivoli show to what an incredible extent private luxury in
such matters could be carried. See the description of it in Murray's
Handbook for Rome. Even in Horace's time, Ep. I. 10. 22
Nempe inter varias nutritur silva cohimnas.
Cp. Od. 3. 10. 5 and Seneca, Controv. 5. 5 Infra aedificia vestra
undas et nemora comprehenditis.
sacros imitantia Incos, i. e. so large, so retired.
16. trabes, the main beams between which were the panels
which formed the fretted ceiling (lacunar). Cp. Hor. Od. 2. 18. 1-4
and Prop. 3. 2. 9
Quod non Taenariis domus est mihi fulta cohimnis,
Nee camera auratas inter eburna trabes.
17. Erythraeo littore. The Persian Gulf: E. lapilli are
pearls.
19. in illis Invidia est. Huschke well quotes Plin. Pan. 88. 5
An satius fuit felicem vocare? quod non moribus, sedfortunae datum
est : satius magnum ? cut plus invidiae quam pulchritudinis inest.
So Prop. 2. 25. 34
Invidiam quod habet non solet esse diu.
21. mentes hominum curaeque levantnr. A zeugma : the
mind is lightened, or eased, of its load ; the burden of care is made
lighter. A still stronger instance occurs i. 4. 65
Quern referent Musae, vivet, dum robora tellus,
Dum caelum Stellas, dum vehet amnis aquas.
So Virg. Aen. 2. 320
Sacra manu, victosque decs, parvumque nepotem
Ipse trahit,
where trahit is only applicable to nepotem. A still stronger instance,
almost amounting to a pun, occurs Ov. Met. 2. 505
Arcuit omnipotens ; pariterque ipsosque nefasque
Sustulit,
i. e. ' both raised them to the skies, and prevented the unholy deed.'
28. non goes closely with meus, 'by no means favourable,'
' hostile,' ' angry.' So Hor. Epod. 9. 30 of Antony after Actium,
Vends iturus non suis,
l82 NOTES.
while in Virg. Geo. 4. 22 the bees go forth vere suo, 'in the spring
that is all their own.' Cp. Ov. Her. 12. 84
Sed mihi tarn faciles unde meosquc deos ?
The Pactolus and the Tagus are coupled together by the ancients
on account of their golden sands. The Pactolus (now Bagouly)
rose in Mount Tmolus celebrated for saffron flowed under Sardis,
and joined the Hermus. See Virg. Aen. 10. 141 and Juv. 14. 298.
33. Juno, daughter of Saturn, is invoked as the patroness of
wedded life.
35. tristes, ' inexorable.'
HI- 5-
THE poet is lying alone in Rome, worn with fever, and expecting
death : he pours out his lamentations to his friends who are visiting
the hot springs of Etruria. Protesting the innocence of his life, he
implores the gods not to let him die in youth, but to prolong his days
to a good old age, and begs his friends to offer sacrifices for his re-
covery.
1, 2. ' Etraria was celebrated in ancient, as it is in modern times,
for its hot springs. Among the most famous of these were the Aquae
Caeretanae, now the Bagni di Sasso, in the neighbourhood of the
important city of Agylla or Caere ; the Aquae Pisanae, now the
Bagni di Pisa, within a few miles of Pisae, the still celebrated Pisa ;
the Aquae Tauri, now Bagni di Ferrata, near Centumcellae, or
Traiani Portus (Civita Vecchia), etc. The poet gives no hint of the
particular spot he alludes to, but many of these places are situated
near the sea, and the proverbial insalubrity of this low-lying coast of
Tuscany (the Maremma) in hot weather, will sufficiently explain the
meaning of the second line.' Strabo 5. p. 227 speaks of the fame
of the Etruscan waters, and says they were as much frequented
as the more famous waters of Baiae. This confirms the reading
proximo.
3. proxima, the conj. adopted by Hiller for the maxima of the
MSS., gives a good sense : ' the Etruscan springs, which near the
dog-days are not to be approached, but at the present season rank
next to the sacred waters of Baiae.' For this use of proxima implying
a comparison in point of merit cp. Ov. Met. 12. 398
Pectoraque artificum laudatis proxima signis,
' not inferior to.' No satisfactory explanation of maxima has been
suggested. Scaliger supposes Baiae to stand for hot springs in
TIBULLUS, III. 3., 33 5-, '-'8. 183
general, like the word 'Spa:' 'greatest amongst hot springs, on account
of its holy waters.' But no proof of such a use has been adduced, to
say nothing of the intolerable ambiguity which it would introduce
here. Others wrest maxima into the sense of maior, meaning ' su-
perior.' This is no less inadmissible. It has been noted that autem
is not elsewhere used by Tibullus. The words maximus andfroxi-
mus are not unfrequently interchanged in MSS.
4. se remittit, ' unbends from,' ' is released,' i. e. from the cold
of winter. Ov. Fast. 4. 1 26
Vere nitent terroe, vere remissus ager.
The winter is regarded as presenting an interruption to the normal
state of the earth.
purpureo vere, ' under the influence of spring.'
5. nigram contrasted, as D. points out, with purpureo 1. 4. For
nigra hora cp. niger dies Prop. a. 24. 34.
denuntiat. This verb is often used in the sense of threatening :
inimicitias, caedem, vim denuntiare, etc. occur in Cicero.
8. laudandae deae. The Bona Dea, to whose rites no male
might be admitted. Tib. i. 6. 22
Sacra bonae maribus non adeunda Deae. "
It is well known what serious consequences, political and personal,
were entailed by the violation of these rites by Clodius in Caesar's
house B.C. 62.
9. infecit pocula, ' drugged a bowl.'
10. trita, ' pounded.' A. has certa. Trita venena occurs also
Prop. 2. 17. 14.
11. sacrileges is not quite so well supported as sacrilegi, but it
gives a better sense. And if sacrilegi would readily be changed to
sacrileges to agree with ignes (Finder), sacrileges might still more
readily be changed to sacrilegi to agree with nos.
13. inrgla mentis. Lachmann illustrates by this phrase the
iurgia saevitiae of Prop. i. 3. 18. 'Brooding over the resentments
of a frenzied mind ' Finder.
18. This line occurs in Ovid's autobiography, Trist. 4. IO. 6,
and it is extremely unlikely that Tibullus would have borrowed so
marked a line literally, and without acknowledgment. Further, it is
certain that he was born at least eleven years, probably sixteen years,
before the event indicated, which took place B. c. 43. See Intro-
duction. Either, therefore, these lines are interpolated, or else the
author was not the poet Tibullus. As a matter of fact, the lines are
quite out of place where they stand.
1 84 NOTES.
19, 20. Ovid closely imitates these lines, Am. 2. 14. 23-4
Quid plenam fraudas vitem crescentibus uvis,
Pomaque crudeli vellis acerba manu.
22. Dura . . . tertia regna. The inelegance of the double epi-
thet is relieved by the circumstance that tertia regna go together as
one idea. The three kingdoms of course are those of Zeus in the
heavens, of Poseidon over the water, and of Pluto over the shades.
sortiti for sortiti estis.
23. olirn, ' on some far distant day.'
24. The Cimmerians were known to Homer as living in the far
West, on the borders of the Ocean, near the entrance to Hades.
Their land is shrouded in mists and clouds, and the sun never shines
on them, Od. II. 14 sqq. In Herodotus, the Cimmerians possessed
the country round the Palus Maeotis. They were expelled by the
Scythians and made an irruption into Asia. They gave their name
to the Cimmerian Bosphorus.
30. The water is facilis because it yields to the hand ; the hand
is lenta, ' pliant,' ' flexible,' because it knows how to overcome the
resistance of the water.
33. Black steers were sacrificed to the gods below ; white to
the gods above.
Znterea, i. e. until my fate is decided, one way or the other.
NOTES ON PROPERTIUS.
I. 8.
THIS poem is addressed to Cynthia, and consists of two parts.
In the first part 11. 1-26 the poet writes in an agony of terror that
she has transferred her affections to a rival who was at that time
praetor designate, and in the belief that she had actually made up
her mind to leave Rome and sail with him to the province of Illyri-
cum and Dalmatia, of which he had been appointed governor. If
the project was indeed entertained, Cynthia was diverted from it by
the indignant and heart-broken remonstrances of Propertius, and he
writes the second part in a tone of enraptured triumph, assured that
he has won the love of Cynthia, and attributing the hold he has
acquired over her to his gift of poesy. We hear again of this same
praetor on his return from Illyria in 3. 7. i, when he is still an object
of suspicion ; in 1. 8 Propertius gives vent to his feelings by calling
him stolidum pecus, ' a dull sheep.'
1. igitur, with a question, expresses surprise and indignation,
marking an abrupt conclusion to a lost train of argument. So Hor.
Sat. 2. 5. 101
Ergo nunc Dama sodalis
Nusquam est ?
and id. Od. I. 24. 5. Cp. the Greek apa. 'What then, art thou
mad? '
cura, as elsewhere, is used especially of the pangs of love. So
Hor. A. P. 85
Et iuvenum curas et libera vina referre.
Sometimes, like amor, and ' love ' in English, it is used for the loved
object, as Virg. E. 10. 22 tua cura Lycoris.
2. tibi, ' in thy eyes,' the Dativus Ethicus, or Dative of Refer-
ence. Cp. Pers. 6. 62 Sum tibi Mercurius.
Illyria. The Province of Illyricum (or Illyria) and Dalmatia
included the whole Eastern sea-board of the Adriatic from the
peninsula of Histria as far south as the Acroceraunian promontory,
where Macedonia began, and comprised the modern territories of
Croatia, Dalmatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania.
gelida, because all mountainous countries alike, and all countries
i86 NOTES.
to the north of Rome, were regarded by the Romans as cold and
inhospitable.
3. 4. tanti ... ut ... veils. ' Of so great value that (for his
sake) thou art willing.' Cp. Juv. 3. 54
tanti tibi non sit opaci
Omnis arena Tagi, quodque in mare volvitur aurum,
Ut somno careas, ponendaque praemia sumas.
i. e. 'be of such value in your eyes that (for its sake) you will do
without sleep,' etc.
iste, with a notion of contempt : ' that fellow, whoever he may
be." Iste implies properly pointing at a person who is present, and
hence suggests familiarity and contempt. In a court of justice, the
accused person is always iste to the prosecutor, hie to his own advo-
cate. Cp. 2. 9. i.
4. vento quolibet may be taken together, ' taking advantage of
any wind, no matter what,' i. e. ready to sail in any weather, or at
any season of the year. But it is better to take quolibet as the adverb,
' ready to sail in any direction,' ' to start for any country.' Vento is
Abl. of the means or instrument of transit, as in Virg. Aen. 2. 180
Vento petiere Mycenas. So we say ' to go by road ' or ' by rail.'
5. 6. potes . . . potes. Emphatic : ' Canst thou bring thyself
to?' ' hast thou the hardihood to?'
vesani, of the wild, wintry sea. So Hor. Od. 3. 4. 30 insanientem
Bosporum, and id. 3. 7. 6 Post insana Caprae sidera, and Epp. 1. 1 1. 10
Neptunum procul e terra spectare furentem.
6. dura nave. So in Pers. 5. 145 Luxuria is represented as
dissuading the indolent youth from going to sea :
Tun' mare transilias ? tibi, torta cannabe fulto,
Cena sit in transtro?
7. positas, 'deposited,' and so = ' lying.' Hor. Sat. 2. 3. 142
Pauper Opimius argenti positi intus et auri.
Postgate well compares Od. 3. 10. 7
Positas ut glaciet nives
Pure numine luppiter.
fulcire. Postgate ( App. B.) has clearly proved that we have here
an example of the proper meaning of the v/oidfutcio, which is ' to
press.' From this is derived the secondary meaning ' to prop,' ' sup-
port,' 'strengthen.' The word comes from the same root asfarcio,
meaning ' to press,' ' to pack,' and so ' to stuff.' The sense ' to
press ' is clearly made out from the present passage, from Celsus 7. 19
linamenta super non fulcienda sed leviter tantum ponenda sunt,
PROPERTIUS, I. 8., 3-1 1. 187
and from the MS. reading of Lucr. 2. 98, where the crushing to-
gether and rebounding of the primordial atoms is described :
Partim intervallis magnis confulta resultant.
Less certain instances occur in Virg. E. 6. 53, Pers. I. 78.
8. insolitas, in passive sense 'unaccustomed,' 'unknown to
thee.' Sometimes it is used actively in the sense of ' contrary to one's
habit,' as of the seals rushing up rivers, Virg. Geo. 4. 543 insolitac
fugiunt in Jlumina phocae.
For II. 5-8 we may compare
Yet take good heed, for ever I dread
That ye could not sustain
The thorny ways, the deep valleys,
The snow, the frost, the rain,
The cold, the heat. The Nut-brown Maid, Anon. 1521.
9. hibernae, ' stormy.'
tempera, i. e. ' the length ' of the stormy season.
10. iners (in and ars~), ' sluggish,' ' inactive,' as of the winter
itself, Hor. Od. 4. 7. 12 et max Bruma recurrit iners ; i. e. ' in
which no work is done.'
tardis Vergfiliis, Abl. of Cause, 'in consequence of the late
rising of the Vergiliae.' The morning rising of the Vergiliae, or, to
use their Greek name, the Pleiades, was held in a rough way to mark
the commencement of spring, and of the sailing season. As to the
precise date indicated, there is great confusion in the writings of the
Roman poets, arising mainly from two causes : (i) they did not dis-
tinguish between the true morning rising of a star (i. e. when it rises
at the same moment with the sun) from its apparent rising (i. e. when
it rises long enough before the sun to be visible before daylight) ; and
(2) they occasionally (Ovid especially) copied dates from Greek
astronomical writers without correcting their calculations for the date
or for the latitude of Rome. In the year 44 B. c. at Rome the true
morning rising of the Pleiades was on April 16 ; the apparent or
heliac rising was on May 28. According to the division of the seasons
in Caesar's Calendar, the beginning of summer was marked by the
morning rising of the Pleiades, but whether the true or heliac rising
was meant is not stated. See W. Ramsay's Appendix on the Roman
Calendar, Selections from Ovid, p. 358 sqq.
11. Tyrrhena . . . arena. These words form a kind of rhyme
called leonine : cp. i. 17. 5
Quin etiam absenti prosunt tibi Cynthia venti,
and 2. 8. 1 6
In nostrum iacies verba superba caput.
1 88 NOTES.
For a similar jingle, either intentional or not avoided, cp. 2. 26.
27 (26*. 5)
Multum in amore fides, multum constantia prodest,
Qui dare multa potest multa et amare potest.
Tyrrhena, i. e. the shore of the Mare Tyrrhenum on the West
coast of Italy.
solvatur ftinis, the ' loosening of the cable ' was equivalent
to our ' setting sail.'
12. elevet, ' carry off," 'waft away,' as fruitless: lit. 'make light,'
so that an air could blow them away. The sense ' to disparage ' as
in Pers. I. 6
non, si quid turbida Roma
Elevet, accedas
comes from ' making light ' in a scale, and so ' depreciating.'
11-20. Propertius first prays that his prayer may be heard, and
that Cynthia may not be able to sail ; then, imagining her ship started,
he hopes that the winds which have not deterred her may still rage
around her, while he, stupefied with grief, rates her for her cruelty
from the shore. Then repenting of his cruel words, he hopes that
after all she may have a prosperous passage. Postgate follows those
editors who invert the order of the two distichs 11. 13-16, partly to
give tales a better meaning, partly to assist a supposed symmetrical
division of the poem into passages of 4, 4, 6, 6, 6 lines respectively,
each giving a complete thought. But the change is unnecessary, for
(i) tales has a good sense as given above, referring to the fierce and
stormy winds which he has hoped may prevent her from sailing alto-
gether. These winds he hopes, in his anger, may still continue after
she has set sail, and that she may have the further agony of seeing
and hearing him upbraiding her from the shore. (2) Atque ego
will thus have its natural sense, instead of ' And yet ' as required by
Postgate's order. (3) Symmetrical divisions should be regarded with
much suspicion. They may be multiplied indefinitely to suit the
caprice of editors, and once the principle of transposition is admitted
it cannot be kept within reasonable limits. An examination of the
transpositions suggested in Propertius by recent editors, with the
reasons for them, will convince a sober critic that his safest course is
to take and explain the order as he finds it in the best MSS., rather
than to expend ingenuity in showing how our poet might have been
more symmetrical or logical in his arrangement. The English head-
ings given in this edition will, it is hoped, serve to bring out that the
order of the MSS. is in almost every case natural and intelligible;
and in this case there are no corresponding divisions in the second
part of the Ode.
PRO PERT I US, I. 8., 12-15. 189
14. provectas, ' advanced on their way,' ' having set sail,'
used proleptically, so that auferet provectas = ' bear thy ship away.'
The word is usually employed of ' getting under weigh,' as in Virg.
Aen. 3. 72 Provehimur portu, but may be used of any amount of
progress achieved, however small, as in Aen. 2.24
Hue se provecti deserto in litore condunt,
where it means ' having launched and sailed a certain distance.' In
prose it is often used with longius, in the sense of ' carried far,' or
' too far.'
rates. The Plur. seems used poetically, and is not inappro-
priate to the original meaning of the word which Festus, p. 273
(Miiller), gives thus : Rates vocantur tigna inter se colligata quae
per aquam aguntur, quo vocabulo interdum etiam naves ipsae signifi-
cant ur. Varro, de L. L. c. 2, suggests a reason for the use of the
Plural : Katis dicta navis longa propter remos quod hi cum per aquas
sublati sunt dextra et sinistra duas partes (Scaliger's corr. for
rates'), efficere videntur. So Plin. 3. 5. 9, 13 of the Tiber, trabibus
potius quam ratibus meabilis, which shows that the Plural might be
used of a single structure. The word ratis seems to have been used
by the early writers (Attius and Ennius) for ' an oar : ' this may have
been its original meaning, and would suit well its connection with
the root ar or ra, whence come aro, ars, arma, remus, rota, etc.
That rates here means Cynthia's vessel only seems more poetical and
natural than to suppose with Postgate that Prop, was thinking of a
crowd of vessels storm-stayed by the same storm, and all setting sail
together. The interpretation above adopted, by which Cynthia is
supposed to sail in spite of high winds, is inconsistent with that
view.
15. The construction ispatiatur me dejixum vocare (se~) crudelem :
' may she endure (to see) me stupefied with grief (and to hear me")
oft call her cruel with outstretched hand.' Prof. Palmer would take
patiatur as referring to aura, vacua is added to intensify the sense
of the lover's loneliness and desertion, as in i. \ 8. 2. The same word
in a different connection may be used to give a sense of complete
repose, or of a mind untroubled by thought or care. Cp. 3. 17. 1 1
Semper enim vacuos nox sobria torquet amantes.
defixum, ' deadened,' ' stupefied,' is the natural meaning ; but
this, as Postgate points out, is inconsistent with infesta vocare manu
in the next line. Why should not dejixum have a still simpler mean-
ing, ' rooted to the ground ? ' The picture would then be of the poet
standing in one spot, helpless to follow, but crying out upon her
cruelty with voice and hand.
190 NOTES.
patiatnr is peculiar, as instead of being used prolately with an
infinitive, it has an accusative with the infinitive after it. This con-
struction is not uncommon with verbs of wishing, etc., in Plautus.
16 . infesta mann. Clearly used of the threatening or upbraid-
ing hand. Postgate's suggestion that the words may mean ' with
hand hostile to myself of beating the breast, etc., though possible,
does not seem in harmony with the passage, and destroys the con-
trast of crudelem infesta.
vocare manu may be either, as Postgate suggests, a compression
of two things or two stages, ' speaking by hand and voice,' into one,
after the manner of Propertius (see his Introduction), or it may
be a somewhat harsh zeugma (if it may be so called), implying that
his hand was now his only instrument of speech.
The maledictions are scarce uttered, when the poet repents of
having uttered them : he recants, and prays that after all she may
have a prosperous voyage.
17. quocunqtie modo, equivalent to utcungue : the phrase
would be more naturally connected with a transitive verb.
18. Galatea, a sea-nymph, taken as representative of the
powers of the deep. In Aen. 9. 102 Jupiter promises Cybele that
such of Aeneas' ships as reach Italy in safety shall be changed into
sea-goddesses,
qualis Nereia Doto
Et Galatea secant spumantem pectore pontum.
It is possibly from a recollection of this passage that Horace
gives the name of Galatea to a maiden whom he would dissuade
from crossing the ater sinus Hadriae in time of storm, Od.
3- 27
non aliena viae, imitated by Ovid, Am. a. II. 34. aliena,
' hostile,' ' unfriendly,' as frequently in Cic., with or without animus
or animo: Tac. Hist. 2. 74 Muciani animus nee Vespasiano
alienus.
10. praevecta, as the reading stands in the MSS. (ut le . . .
praevecta) must be the vocative for the accusative, just as it stands
for the nom. in the well-known passages in Pers. I. 123 and 3. 29
Stemmate quod Tusco ramum milesime duds.
In both passages the use of the Vocative is harsher than it is here,
as it stands as the predicate of the sentence. Postgate is inclined to
adopt utere with Baehrens, pointing out that the imperative is often
used in inscriptions, in short prayers, and that the omission of te,
involved by that reading, is quite Propertian (see Introduction).
Harsh as is the transition thus involved from the 3rd person in sit
PROPERTIUS, I. 8., 16-21. 191
to the and in utere, and then back to the 3rd vfcaccipiat, this reading
is the best yet proposed.
praevecta, used of riding or gliding past, as in Tac. Ann. 2. 6
of the Rhone, servat nomen qua Germaniam praevehitur. H. A.
J. Munro (Journal of Phil. 6. p. 49), besides objecting to the asyn-
deton of the MS. reading, and to the omission of te 1. 20, holds
that it is impossible to use the past part, praevecta in the sense
of the present part., showing that Lachmann's instances Qlpraetet-
vehor are all in the present tense, and comparing Livy's praetervehens
equo with Cicero's use of praetervecta in the pass, (pro Gael. 5 1 ). He
therefore repeats the conj. Ut te praevectam felice Ceraunia remo,
pointing out that felice occurs in Cicero, and infelice in Catullus.
But praevecta, as practically equivalent to a pres. part., may be
illustrated by provectas 1. 14 ; and if we read utere, the objection
to praevecta is practically removed. The rowing would not be
pronounced felix until the dangers were passed.
Ceraunia, referring to the precipitous cliff and acute promon-
tory called Acroceraunia, which forms the termination of the
Ceraunian Mountains. This promontory was just to the north of
Oricum (or Oricos), and was the main terror of the passage from
Italy to Greece. Bold indeed must have been the man, says Hor.
Od. i. 3. 19, who first dared to face the sea :
Qui vidit mare turgidum et
Infames scapulas Acroceraunia.
20. Oricos or Oricum, a town on the confines of Illyria and
Epirus, at which passengers bound for Rome would wait for favour-
able weather. Thus Asteria's lover Gyges is detained at Oricum,
Hor. Od. 3. 7. 5
Ille Notts actus ad Oricum
Post insana Caprae sidera.
Oricum and Dyrrhachium (further north en the same coast) were
the Calais and Boulogne, as Brundusium was the Dover or
Folkestone, of the Roman world.
21. Non ullae taedae. The torch was so essential a part of
the marriage procession, as it was also of the funeral procession,
that the word taeda by itself may stand for either ceremony. Thus
in Prop. 4. II. 46 the shade of Cornelia describes her whole wedded
life by the words
Viximus insignes inter utramque facem,
andOv. Her. 21. 172
Et face pro thalami fax mihi mortis erit.
192 NOTES.
Here taeda stands for ' marriage,' as in Virg. Aen. 4. 18, where Dido
says,
Si non pertaesum thalami taedaeque fuisset.
Nam. Postgate seems to miss the force of this word : ' the
argument is, " to pass on to me, I shall always be true to you." '
Surely nam gives the reason for the sudden change of tone intro-
duced by sed in 1. 17,' Nay, after all, I must pray for thy happy
voyage : for I can never give up my love for thee, and wherever
thou goest, thou shalt yet be mine.'
21. corrumpere. It should be noticed that this word does not
exactly correspond to our word ' to corrupt.' It means ' to break
through, ' ' to break utterly,' ' to destroy,' and so to render a thing use-
less for its proper object. To a people who worshipped strength above
all things, a word signifying loss of strength came naturally to have
a moral meaning ; but the ideas associated with it were rather those
of loss of fibre, weakness, and luxury, which the Roman moralists
especially connected with loss of manly virtue, than what we denote
by moral corruption. Thus Sallust, Jug. 39. 5 milites . . . licentia
atque lascivia corruperat ; Tac. Hist. 3. 49 disciplinam corrum-
pere; Virg. Geo. 2. 466
Nee casia liquidi corrumpitur usus olivi,
i.e. 'deteriorated,' 'spoiled,' and Hor. Sat. i. 5. 95 of a road,
utpote longum
Carpentes iter et factum corruptius imbri,
i. e. ' broken up.' In the passage before us the word may mean that
no second love, no marriage, shall ' break down ' or ' weaken ' the
love he bears to Cynthia.
22. Quin is only used, as Postgate points out, after negative or
quasi-negative sentences (such as questions), and introduces the thing
which one is not prevented from doing. Its meaning is equivalent
to ' so as not : ' as here, ' No marriage shall change me so that I
shall not complain.' Its most usual use is after verbs of doubting :
non dubiunt est quin earn viderim means literally, ' No doubt
exists so that I did not see her ' = ' No doubt exists which interferes
with, or prevents, my having seen her,' i. e. ' There is no doubt but
that I saw her,' or ' as to my having seen her.' Quominus has pre-
cisely the same sense after verbs of preventing or hindering.
verba querar. As Postgate points out, there is no need to alter
this reading. Verba is the cognate accusative after querar, which
is used in the sense of ' to pour forth by way of complaint.' Thus
Verba queri is ' to pour forth complaining words ' or ' words of
PROPERTIUS, I. 8., 21-24. 193
complaint.' Parallel to queri, ' to utter complainingly,' is Virgil's
use ofrumpere with vocetn, etc., as in Aen. 11. 377
rumpitque has imo pectore voces,
which means ' To send forth in a breaking or broken manner,' ' To
utter burstingly.' So Aen. 4. 553
Tantos ilia suo rumpebat pectore questtts.
For verba querar Postgate compares Ov. Met. 9. 304 verba queror,
and points out that Propertius frequently uses verba where one
would expect the particular kind of words whether of joy, sorrow,
or otherwise to be indicated. Most editors have adopted Passerat's
conjecture vera, which Palmer supports by 3. 6. 35
Quae tibi si veris animis est questa puella.
But in that passage the whole point turns upon the truth of the
complaint made ; here there is no question of true or false, only of
his persistence in his love. Catull. 66. 18 also quoted is quite
beside the mark. ' I shall pour forth my woe in words upon thy
threshold ' is surely more forcible than ' I shall utter well-founded
complaints.'
The limen of the loved one's door was the natural confidant of
all a Roman lover's woes and disappointments, and the recipient of
his most earnest protestations. In i. 1 6 a whole poem is devoted
to retailing the varied experiences of a limen, which betrays the
confessions of a rejected but still hopeful lover. Strange that the
one merit of such a confidant that it could keep a secret should
be so wantonly sacrificed. Cp. Catull. 67.
23. deficiet, used impersonally, or rather perhaps, by a curious
inversion, with the infinitive rogitare as a subject. ' The continual
questioning of sailors shall never fail me.' An accusative of the person
after deficere is common, as Hor. Sat. 2. i. 13 Cupidum, pater
optime, vires Deficiunt.
citatos. He will send for, summon, all sailors who arrive in
port, to question them about Cynthia. The interpretation ' moving
quickly ' is very weak. As Paley points out, citare is a regular word
to use of summoning witnesses.
24. clausa, safe somewhere in harbour, as though she were
only detained by stress of weather from returning to him, like Gyges
in Hor. Od. 3. 7. 5-8, and were watching for the first opportunity to
cross.
Dicite . . . est. The direct question indicates the urgency and
rapidity of his questions.
25. 26. ' I shall ever hold her to be true ;' dicam, not merely
because, as Postgate observes, Propertius frequently puts something as
O
194 A 7 OTES.
said where another writer would say that it is, but because he wishes
to express a conviction to which he is determined to give utterance,
and which is rapturously justified in the lines which follow.
25. licet . . . licet. On this pleonastic repetition see Post-
gate's Introduction.
Atraciis is read by the best MSS. Atrax is a town in Thessaly.
There is also a river Atrax in Aetolia. Pucci conjectured Autaricis,
which would refer to an Illyrian tribe mentioned by Strabo under the
name of Av-rapiarai. Palmer writes Artaciis, resting on Apoll. Rhod.
Arg. i. 954, where a harbour is spoken of
Kpiji'Tj VTT' 'Apra/a?/.
considat, of a lasting settlement. Dido asks Aeneas, Aen.i. 572
Vultis et his mecum pariter consider e regtiis?
26. Most editions have Eleis. The MSS. have hileis, for
which Hylleis, referring to an Illyrian tribe "f\\(ioi or "f \\rjtTs,
seems, as Postgate says, a very probable correction. Yet Eleis
would do well enough, and seems confirmed by 1. 36. Professor
Palmer now prefers Hylaeis, the reading of the text, which is near N. :
' Though my lady moors her bark in the furthest regions of the
earth, she will be true to me.' Hylaea was a region of Scythia,
mentioned in connection with Cyzicus, near which was Artace, by
Herodotus. See Hermathena, 1883.
27. erit, ' will remain.' iurata, 'on oath.' She remains, and
remains for certain, as she has sworn it. Palmer prefers erat : ' She
was here all the -while, and here she remains.' As she never actually
set sail at all, this must refer to the time when he imagined that she
had done so.
rumpantnr iniqni. ' Let my enemies burst through envy.'
Rumpor, a natural phrase, used of envy as here by Virg. E.
7.26
invidia rumpantur ut ilia Codro ;
of anger, by Hor. Sat. i. 3. 136 miserque Rumperis et latras. Post-
gate well compares the Fable of the Frog : Hor. Sat. i. 3. 319
non si te ruperis, inquit,
Par eris,
28. Vicimus. ' I have gained the day,' ' I have carried my
point : ' as we might say ' Victory 1 '
non tulit. ' Has not been able to endure,' ' to stand out
against.'
29. licet . . . deponat, simply ' may now lay aside,' ' give
up.'
of a joy without foundation, and therefore doomed to
PROPERTIUS, I. 8., 25-43. 195
disappointment. The same idea is expressed elsewhere by vana
gaudia, an empty joy founded on no reality.
livor, blackness, is taken as the personification of Envy : as
Ov. R. A. 387 Rumpere livor edax.
cnpidns, ' full of eagerness,' i. e. to do its proper work.
Translate, ' the envy of their hearts.'
30. Destitit, ' has ceased,' ' has given up the idea of going.'
Constructed with the infinitive as in Hor. Epod. u. 5
Hie tertius December, ex quo destiti
Inachia fur ere.
novas vias, ' new, strange courses.' Used literally of her journey,
with a suggestion of the metaphorical meaning as well.
31. Ull, to b*e joined with carus. 'She tells me I am dear to her.'
per me, ' for my sake.'
32. dnlcia neg-at, ' declares they have no charms for her.' Or
negat may stand for abnegat, as in Suet. Aug. 40. Postgate well
remarks upon the skill shown in this couplet.
39. concha, ' a pearl-oyster,' and hence ' a pearl,' as Tib.
2. 4. 30; Ov. Met. 10. 260; Am. 2. n. 13.
39. 40. The sense of these lines is given in a less serious spirit
by a modem writer :
/ did not buy her (out upon it !
I had no gold to buy :
The duns are at me for the bonnet
I sent her just to try )
What won her was the seely sonnet
That praised her to the sky !
40. blandl, 'caressing,' ' loving.' Blandus is the characteristic
epithet assigned to Propertius by Ovid, Trist. 5. i. 17.
obsequio, ' by the loving homage of my song.'
41. Snnt, emphatic. ' Do really exist,' ' are no fiction.'
tardns, ' slow to help.'
42. rara, 'such as is rarely found:' similar in sense to, but
not quite so strong as, unica. Cp. i. 17. 16
Quamvis dura tamen rara puella fuit,
and Stat. Silv. 5. i. n coniux rarissima. Rarus is properly used of a
substance which has intervals between its parts : hence applied to nets
(Virgil), air (Lucretius), a sieve (Ovid), friable soil (Virgil), etc. It is
then used of the parts so separated, and thus means ' far apart,' ' rare.'
43. A hyperbolical way of speaking, as when Horace says that
if Maecenas ranks him among lyric bards
Sublimi feriam sidera vertict.
2
196 NOTES.
Postgate declares this to be not to the point, maintaining that Pro-
pertius means ' I shall walk a god among the gods.' The reference
to the gods is scarcely in place, and destroys the simple realism of
the idea. The plain meaning is, ' I shall tread on the very stars as I
walk along ' in triumph and exultation. Cat. 66. 69 me node pre-
munt vestigia divom is hardly in point. Berenice's hair, changed
into a star, says quite simply ' the gods plant their steps on me,'
' I form the road over which they walk.'
licet. Postgate well points out in this and other passages, how
fond Propertius is of softening his meaning, so that he prefers to say
that he may, or that he will, or that he desires, or that he intends,
to do a thing, rather than that he actually does it. This tendency
he connects with irresolution and weakness of will, as characteristic
of the poet. See his Introduction.
45. certus, 'true,' 'faithful:' so Enn. in Cic. Lael. 17. 64
Amicus certus in re incerta cernitur,
the happily selected motto of one of our principal Insurance Societies.
subducet. Most MSS. subducit, which is perhaps better, ex-
pressing both the certainty and the endurance of his love.
amores, either the affection of Cynthia for him, or perhaps
Cynthia herself, the loved object, which no rival can now filch from
him. So Cic. Div. i. 36 amores et deliciae tuae.
I. I 4 .
This charming little poem is addressed to the poet's friend Tullus,
a young man of wealth and good family, to whom also are addressed
several of his most intimate pieces. Happy in the consciousness of
Cynthia's love, he tells his friend that he has no envy of his beautiful
villa on the Tiber, with its costly furniture and lovely view, for he
possesses in his love a joy and a wealth that far transcend all the
joys and wealth of kings. From the Sixth Elegy of the First Book
it appears that Tullus was the nephew of a man of distinction,
L. Vocatius Tullus, who was consul in the year B. c. 33, along with
Octavian himself. This uncle, probably in the year 27 B.C., was
setting out as proconsul to the senatorial province of Asia, and
taking with him his nephew Tullus as his legatus. On that occasion
Tullus offered to find a place for the poet on his uncle's staff : but
Propertius declared (i. 6) that he could not tear himself away from
Cynthia. After his uncle's term of office was over, Tullus re-
mained some time in the East for travel and enjoyment : and in
PROPERTIUS, I. 8., 45 14., 1-5. 197
3. 22 the poet writes to him upbraiding him with his long absence, as
showing indifference to his friends and the beauties of his own
country. The First Elegy of the First Book, in which Propertius
declares his absolute devotion to Cynthia, is also addressed to Tullus:
and it is highly probable that it was through Tullus that the poet
first obtained an introduction to Maecenas.
1. Tn, in antithesis to meo amori in 1. 7.
abiectns. This word usually carries with it the idea of despond-
ency or meanness, as in its English equivalent ; but here it is to be
taken simply in the sense of ' stretched at ease,' ' lying prostrate,' in
connection with the local ablative Tiberina tinda. Cp. Ov. Her.
7. \ of the swan who sings upon the Maeander, udis abiectus in
herbis. The word carries with it the notion of that complete ease
and abandon which was the ideal of the Epicurean poet : Hor.
Od. i. i. 21
nunc viridi membra sub arbuto
Stratus, nunc ad aquae lene caput sacrae.
For the ablative unda cp. the .common reading in 2. 13. 55 Illis
formosum iacuisse paludibus. See also 4. 3. 10 and note.
2. Lesbia. The wine of Lesbos was sweet and light : Hor.
Od. i. 17. 21 describes it as innocens, and Athenaeus 1.22 calls it
olvapiov, a phrase exactly equivalent to the French term petit vin for
a light, weak wine, of no particular pretensions.
Mentoreo. Mentor was the most celebrated chaser of silver
among the Greeks, especially famous for his cups. He lived shortly
before 356 B c., as we are told that many of his cups were destroyed
in the burning of the temple of Ephesus in that year. Enormous
prices were paid for his works : Juvenal 8. 104 describes the wealthy
days of the East by asserting
rarae sine Mentore mensae ;
and Martial 4. 39. 5 thus addresses a wealthy connoisseur :
Solus Mentoreos habes labores.
Propertius characterises Mentor's work by the complicated character
of his subjects, 3. 9. 1 3
Argumenta magis sunt Mentoris addita formae.
3. 4. Tullus lies lazily stretched upon the river bank, watching
the barges gliding down the current or being towed against it.
5. intendat vertice silvas. This phrase has been strangely
misunderstood. Paley translates, ' Though all the woodland around
you should wave with trees,' without explaining how the meaning is
to be extracted from the words. Intendere can only mean ' to
198 NOTES.
stretch : ' and the idea here is analogous to that of stretching or
pitching tents on a plain (tabernacula carbaseis intenta velis Cic.
Verr. 2. 5. 12. 30), or of stretching or spreading sails upon a mast.
Nemus is the woodland, situated on a hill overlooking the Tiber,
on the slope of which probably the Janiculum or the Vatican
Tullus' villa was built. The wooded hill is thus said ' to stretch out
the planted trees on its top : ' and 1. 6 makes it clear that Propertius
is dwelling on the size of the trees, not, as Burmann and others sup-
pose, on the extent of the wood. Nor can intendat mean 'to
thicken,' = arboribus denset, as Schultze supposes. The only other
possible interpretation is ' how the wood stretches out, i. e. rears
high, the trees at their top ' or ' with their top : ' but this is weak
and tautological.
7. contendere, ' to vie with," here used with the dative as in
i- 7-3
Atque, ita sim felix, primo contendis Homero.
The more usual construction is with cum followed by the person,
and the ablative of the subject of rivalry as in 2. 24. 7 (Vulg. 28)
Contendat niecum ingenio, contendat et arte.
7, 8. With these lines, and 11. n, 12, compare
No pearls, no gold, no stones, no corn, no spice,
No cloth, no "wine, of Love can pay the price. Anon.
9, 1O. trahit . . . ducit. The verbs trahere and ducere both
carry with them the notion of length : here of the long hours or
live-long day spent in the dalliance of love. Cp. ducere somnos
Virg. Aen. 4. 560. Kinnoel compares Sen. Here. 645 Vigilesquc
trahit pur pur a noctes.
The metaphors are strangely abrupt : ' Then do the waters of
Pactolus pour under my roof, then do I gather gems under the Red
Sea.' The Red Sea of the ancients was the whole Indian ocean, and
they had a fancy that its bed was rich with gems. Thus of the pearl
or 'shell of Venus," Prop. 3. 13. 6
Et venit e rubro concha Erycina salo.
So Martial 5. 37. 34 has lapilli Erythraei. See note on Tibull. 2.
2. 15, 16, and Curtius 8. 9. 19 gemmas margaritasque mare litoribus
infundit.
11, 12. Compare the following lines from the Chloris of William
Smith (i 596):
Some make their love a goldsmith's shop to be,
Where orient pearls and precious stones abound;
In my conceit these far do disagree,
The perfect praise of beauty forth to sound :
PROPBRTIUS, I. 14., 7-19. 199
O Chloris, thou dost imitate thyself, .
Self -imitating passeth precious stones ;
For all the Eastern-Indian golden pelf,
Thy red and white with truest fair atones.
How far removed is the elaborate ' conceit ' of the modern poet
from the simplicity and directness of Propertius !
13. ' Assure me that kings will yield to me,' i. e. in point of
happiness.
13, 14. There is much in this poem, as well as in poems 8, 17,
and 1 8, which remind us of passages in Shakespeare's Sonnets.
Cp. Sonnets 25 and 29, which ends with the lines
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings,
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Cp. lines 23, 24. But every comparison only brings out more clearly
the essential differences between the ancient and modern conceptions
of love. How unintelligible to Propertius would have been the
spirit of Scott's well-known lines, though they reproduce the main
idea of 11. 17-24:
In peace love tunes the shepherd's reed,
In war he mounts the warrior's steed,
In halls, in gay attire is seen,
In hamlets, dances on the green.
Love rules the court, the camp, the grove,
For love is Heaven, and Heaven is love.
15. adverso . . . Amore. ' If Love be unpropitious.' Hertz-
berg quotes Mimnermus :
Ti's 5J /Sf'os, TI 5^ Ttpirvov, arfp xpvafjs 'A^poS/riys ;
TfOvalrjv ore pot fJujKiri ravra /ieAoi.
16. sint, conditional. ' No wealth would be wealth to me.'
tristi, of a maiden who will not smile on her lover : so Prop.
i. 6. 10, and Tib. 4. 4. 17
lacrimis erit aptius uti
Si quando fuerit tristior ilia tibi.
17-22. ' Not strength or sternness, not wealth or luxury, can
keep Love away.'
18. dolor. The nominative, as elsewhere in Propertius, is here
put for the more usual dative of predication. See I. 18. 15 and the
passages referred to in the Index.
19. Arabium limen, i. e. a threshold paved with onyx, or
Oriental alabaster, which was brought from Arabia (Plin. N. H. 36.
12) and was much used for cups, pillars, and other ornamental work
at Rome.
200 NOTES.
20. ostrino, ' purple.' An adjective derived from ostrum
(offTp(ov), lit. 'the blood of the purple-snail,' used several times by
Propertius.
22. relevant, lit. ' lift up,' ' lighten,' used in the sense of our
'alleviate.' For the sense cp. Tib. i. a. 77-80.
23. verebor, used in a somewhat peculiar sense, ' shall have
no scruples about,' ' shall not hesitate to.' For the Infinitive after
vereor cp. Hor. Sat. 2. 3. 40
Insanos qui inter ziereare insanus haberi.
I. I 7 .
This poem, together with the one which follows it, is among the
most charming and touching of all the love-poems of Propertius.
They are poems which none other of the amatory poets of Rome
could have written, and which alone would be enough to give a dis-
tinguishing mark to his genius. They are essentially modern in their
character. There is no tinge of coarseness or artificiality, no trace
of the laboured and pedantic conceits of the Alexandrine school in
the love which they breathe. The pain and the love which the poet
pours forth are essentially romantic rather than classical in their
character ; and as pure and true to nature as the winds, the waves,
and the rocks which he addresses. The cast of the pieces is en-
tirely modern : it may be doubted whether there are any poems in
antiquity which come so near to the spirit of the Nature school of
English poetry. Driven to despair by Cynthia's hardness, he embarks
upon a voyage, he buries himself in some lonely spot in the hope of
driving her image from his mind ; but the first breath of a storm, the
soughing of the trees, and the songs of birds, only add fuel to his
passion : he curses the folly which has induced him to tear himself
away from her, and every sight and sound only makes him feel the
more that in leaving her he has left the whole world behind him.
He speaks to the winds with the passion of a Lear, to the trees and
the birds and the streams with the tenderness of a Rosalind : he
calls on the beeches and the pines to bear witness to his love ; he
carves Cynthia's name upon their trunks, he shouts it aloud to the
rocks ; he colours all nature with the intensity of his own feelings,
and looks for her help and sympathy in every phase of his passion.
There is throughout that refined appreciation of the beauties of nature,
and that sense of their mysterious correspondence with the various
moods of man's mind, which we are accustomed to regard as charac-
teristic of our own modern poets.
PROPERTIUS, I. 14., 20-23 17., i-n. 201
1. There is nothing to show whether the voyage of this piece
was real or imaginary. In I. 15 the poet speaks as if he were about
to undertake a voyage in consequence of the treatment he had received
from Cynthia.
Et marks an abrupt beginning. The poet plunges in medias
res : he starts in the middle of a gust of feeling, leaving what has
preceded to be understood. Cp. Ov. Am. 3. 12. 9
Et merito, quid enim formae praeconia fed ?
potui, ' could bring myself to,' ' had the heart to,' like the Greek
trXrjv.
2. Alcyonas. Alcyone, daughter of Aeolus, and her husband
Ceyx were for their presumption changed into sea-birds. The ancient
fable was that the halcyon made her nest upon the waters, and that
during that time calm prevailed. Hence our ' halcyon days ; ' here
Propertius calls on the halcyons in hopes that they will allay the
storm. See Ov. Met. n. 742-749, andServius on Virg. Geo. i. 399.
So Theocr. 7. 57
'A\KVOVtS (TTOpfOtVVTl TO /CV/XOTO.
3. Cassiope, wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda,
was changed into a constellation, whose appearance through the
storm would be a sign of brightening weather. Some suppose the
allusion to be to the town Cassiope or Cassope on the shores of Epirus,
mentioned by Strabo 7. 7 as a point made for in the voyage to
Greece. The remains of the town between Nicopolis and Pandosia
are at some distance from the sea, in the hills : it was thus rather a
point to be sighted than a harbour to be made for. This would
perhaps give a better meaning both to visura and to soiilo.
solito is peculiar : it must be used adverbially, = ex solito ; per-
haps such forms as gratuito, incerto, etc. may be regarded as analo-
gies. Hertzberg makes the prosy conjecture solidam, understanding
Cassiope of the town. Paley makes the conjecture omine et for
omnia 1. 4 ; but we are not aware of any omen specially connected
with the constellation, and omnia seems needed for emphasis.
6. increpat. The indicative gives greater emphasis, the indirect
question being ignored. See note on 1.8. 24.
8. funus, as elsewhere in Propertius, is used for ' a dead body.'
So Virg. Aen. 9. 489 and 6. 510
Omnia Deiphobo solvisti et funeris umbris.
11. reponere is the reading of N., and, if correct, must mean
' to represent,' ' to portray in imagination,' or, as Lemaire puts it,
' remettre sous les yeux.' Ponere is used of any portrayal or descrip-
tion of a thing, whether in words, painting, or otherwise ; and the re
202 NOTES.
will denote the calling up of the occurrence by the mind's eye.
Opponere would mean ' to place before the eye,' 'imagine.'
12. ossa nulla, emphatic : ' no bones of mine : ' . ' to be
utterly without remains of mine to hold.' Paley well recalls the
striking picture given by Tac. Ann. 2. 75 of Agrippina embarking
from Asia for Rome, and carrying the urn with her husband's ashes
clasped upon her bosom. Cp. Tib. 1.3. 5.
13. paravit, 'equipped.'
15. Finder suggests that Propertius may have had the similar
passage of Virgil in his eye, E. 2. 14.
17. The scene is now shifted ; the poet is no longer out at sea
hoping to sight the land ; he is sailing along unknown wooded shores.
18. Tyndaridas, the well-known meteoric phenomenon called
' St. Elmo's fire,' which was a sign of fine weather and was attributed
by the ancients to Castor and Pollux. See Hor. Od. I. 3. i. So in
the Battle of Lake Regillus:
If once the great twin Brethren
Sit shining on the sails.
See also Hayes' account of Sir Humphry's voyage (quoted by Froudc,
Short Studies, vol. i. p. 486) : We had also upon our mainyard an
apparition of a little fier by night, -which seamen do call Castor and
Pollux.
19. Ulic, i.e. ' Had I remained and died at Rome.' Sepelis-
sent, donasset, clamesset refer to acts over once for all ; staret, to the
abiding monument ; while poneret, 1. 22, represents the act of placing
the ashes amongst roses in the urn as actually proceeding.
20. posito . . . amore combine in one expression the ideas
of the remains laid in the grave, and the love laid down and done
with, as we might speak of ' a buried love/
23. extreme pnlvere, ' the dust which is my end.' See n. 1 . 19.2.
24. =the usual formula S. T. T. L., i.e. sit tibi terra levis.
25. Doridae natae, i.e. the Nereids.
26. felici . . . chore, ' appearing as a glad band ; ' lit ' by your
glad band.' Strictly, the nominative should have been used, as the
natae are to form the chorus.
solvite vela, i. e. ' enable us to unreef our sails.'
28. socio, i. e. ' your partner in love.'
Mansuetis litoribus, ' by making calm your shores.'
I. 1 8.
1. taciturna, to be taken closely with querenti : ' that will
keep my complaints to themselves.' So tenerefidem 1. 4.
PROPERTIUS, I. 17., 12-2818., 1-20. 203
1-4. Cp. Tennyson, Oenone :
Hear me, Earth, hear me, O hills, O caves,
That house the cold crown' d snake ! mountain brooks,
Hear me, for I will speak, and build up all
My sorrow with my song.
5. Unde repetam, i. e. ' To what point am I to go back to
find.'
8. habere notam, an image taken from the nota or mark of
infamy attached by the censors on their roll to the name of any
citizen whom they wished to stigmatise as having been guilty of
some disgraceful act. So Cleopatra is described 3. u. 40 as
Una Philippeo sanguine adust a nota.
9. carmina. So the MSS. If correct, the meaning must be
' spells.' But Lipsius' emendation crimina is to be preferred. The
two words are often confused.
11. Sic ... nt. See note oh Tib. 2. 5. 63.
levis, emphatic : ' capricious that thou art,' nominative case.
Palmer puts a comma before levis as well as after it.
13. multa . . . aspera. So multa dura i. 15. i.
14. venerit, nearly equivalent to the future, though there is
probably also an optative sense : ' may I never become so enraged,'
' may it never be said that I have become.'
15. furor; cp. dolor I. 14. 18.
17. colore, unquestionably the best reading, rather than calore
adopted by Baehrens and Mueller. See I. 6. 6
Mutatoque graves saepe colore freces.
' Do you doubt my love,' asks the poet, ' because I do not change
colour, with the bashfulness of a young lover, at every instant ? '
Calore would mean practically the same thing, but less directly.
A lover might well be said to grow hot and cold with hope and fear
alternately, but the point of the line is in signa damus. Do you
doubt my love, he asks, because you do not see the outward signs
of feeling on my cheek ? So clamat in ore in 1. 18.
18. fides, the sincerity or loyalty of the lover, which does not
proclaim itself in his face.
20. The nymph Pitys (ILVvs) was loved by Pan; she was
changed into a fir-tree, which tree became sacred to Pan in conse-
quence. See Virg. E. 7. 24.
It is possible that here and elsewhere the beech-tree is mentioned
specially hi connection with love, because its bark admits of being
carved with letters more readily than that of any other tree. See
1. 22 and Ov. Her. 5. 21
204 NOTES.
Ineisae servant a te mea nomina fagi,
Et legor Oenone, falce notata, tua.
2122. The quotation at once suggests itself from 'As yon
like it,' Act 3 :
Rosalind! these trees shall be my books,
And in their barks my thoughts Pll character.
Again, the Faery Qneene, 4. 7. 46 :
And eke by that he saw on every tree
How he the name of one engraven had
Which likely was his liefest love to be.
Compare too, for mea verba 1. 21, as well as for 11. 31, 32, Drayton's
Quest of Cynthia :
Forth roved I by the sliding rills
To find -where Cynthia sat,
Whose name so often from the hills
The echoes wondered at.
When on upon my wayless walk
As my desires me draw,
I like a madman fell to talk
With everything I saw.
So too Sir Robert Aytoun :
O happy happy tree
Unto whose tender rynd
The trophies of our love shall live
Eternally enshryn'd ;
Which shall have force to make
Thy memory remain,
Sequester d from the bastard host
Of trees which are profane !
And again :
Sear me record that while I passed by,
1 did my duteous homage to your dame ;
ffow thrice I sigKd, thrice on her name did cry,
Thrice kissed the ground for honour of the same.
Then left these lines to tell her, on a tree,
That she made them to live and me to die!
23. An, etc. ' Or can it be because.' The line recalls the well-
known maxim of the cynic, that men hate those whom they have
injured.
24. The MSS. have foribus, a reading which seems almost
unworthy of the tone of this beautiful poem. The reference would
PROPERTIUS, I. 18., 2 i-3,_i 9 ., x. 205
be to the commonplace subject of the excluded lover, pouring out
his sorrows to the door which shuts him out. See the whole poem,
i. 16. Baehrens' conjecture foliis is tempting. It is in harmony
with the piece, containing a pathetic assurance on the part of the
poet, in the very moment that recalls to him his wrongs, that he has
breathed them to none but the silent leaves.
quae is a general neuter, referring to curas : ' matters which
are known only,' etc.
25. Note the contrast oitimidus and superbae.
26. argnto . . . dolore, a grief that vents itself in words.
27. The address to the Fountains and their Naiads, implied in
the usual punctuation, is somewhat abrupt, and it seems better to
leave the question open whether fontes is the nominative or the
vocative. The only reason for supposing it to be the latter is con-
tained in the epithet divini, which is inconsistent with frigida,
inculto, dura, all pointing to the hardships of the poet's present
surroundings. But this is outweighed by the ambiguity and harsh-
ness of taking the words out of their natural sequence : divini fontes
et frigida rupes et . . . dura quies. The conjecture dumosi monies
is quite unnecessary. Mr. R. Ellis, Journal of Phil. vol. xv. p. 12,
has made the ingenious conjecture Clusini fontes. Divini is out
of place ; and he suggests a coincidence with the passage in Horace,
Epp. I. 15. 5, where Horace complains that Baiae and its hot
springs were being deserted for the cold founts of Clusium. Pro-
pertius, sick with love or ill, may have retired for change of air to
Clusium, and poured forth this eighteenth elegy in some unfre-
quented spot in the neighbourhood.
28. tramite. Sellar (Elegiac Poets, p. 273 .) would translate
'hill-side.' He compares 3. 13. 44, where frames apparently is a
translation of opos in a poem by Leonidas of Tarentum.
31. Cynthia, i. e. ' the name " Cynthia " ' : object to vacent.
I. 19-
A beautiful and touching elegy, written apparently in anticipation
of an early death, and, with the exception of the relief afforded by
the two concluding lines, in a tone of deep despondency. The poet
is filled with terror at the thought that Cynthia may forget him
when dead, while he vows that his own love will endure beyond the
grave. Let them enjoy their love, at least, while they live.
1. Vereor, seldom if ever used with exactly the same sense
as timeo or metuo. Cicero carefully distinguishes the words, Sen.
206 NOTES.
ii. 37 Metuebant eum servi, verebantur liberi, and Phil. 12. 12. 29
Quid ? Veteranos non veremur ? nam timeri se ne ipsi quidetn
volunt. The same contrast is brought out in Ad Quint, i. i, and
Liv - 39- 37- * 7-
2. moror. Just as Virgil's nee dona moror, Aen. 5. 400,
means 'I do not stop the gifts,' ' I let them go past me,' and so ' I
do not care for them ; ' so- here moror fata means, ' I would do
nothing to avert,' and so ' am indifferent to.'
extreme, an ornamental, intensifying epithet. It is not used to
part off one kind oirogus from another as in such common phrases
as extremo tempore, etc. but to indicate a quality which is uni-
versal : ' the pile which is life's end.' The word is used in exactly
the same way in 1. 17. 23
Ilia meum extremo c lamas set pulvere nomen,
and in 3. 2. 18 (20)
Mortis ab extrema conditione vacant.
debita fata Togo. Nothing can be more crude and unpoetical
than to say, with Kinnoel and Finder, that fata ' stands for " a
dead body";' or, with Paley, that it is a periphrasis for fatum
rogi, whatever that might mean. Surely neither poetry nor sense
requires anything to 'stand for' so fine a phrase as 'Nor would
I stay the fate that is my funeral pyre's due.'
3. ne goes with Hie timor est, the emphatic Hie being ex-
planatory of the sentence ne cartat : ' But I have a fear a fear
more stem than death itself that thy love may be absent from my
burial.'
5. Pner is of course Cupid. It is possible, as Hertzberg
suggests, that there may have been running through the poet's mind
a conceit which he illustrates from two passages from the Greek
Anthology, according to which the eyes of Aphrodite are re-
presented as anointed with bird-lime to enable her to catch her
prey. This is bad enough ; but when Paley translates this into
' The lover goes about with his eyes smeared to catch Cupid as he
flies, and so is unable to shake him off again,' the idea becomes
intolerable. The eyes are the seat of Love ; it is through the eyes
that Love is caught up and answered. Olivia in Twelfth Night says,
Methinks I feel this youth 's perfections,
With an invisible and subtle stealth,
To creep in at mine eyes.
It was by the eyes that Cynthia first captured Propertius, I . I . I
Cynthia prima suis miserum me cepit ocellis.
The figure therefore of Cupid having settled on the poet's eyes, and
PKOPERTIUS, I. 19., 2-8. 207
clung to them so firmly that it was inconceivable that he should
leave him when dead, and allow his remains to be neglected by her
whom he had loved, is a perfectly natural and beautiful idea. The
idea of the Anthology is quite different. There Venus, or the
ministers of Venus, anoint their eyes with bird-lime that they may
catch the lover ; here Love has fastened himself so firmly on to the
lover's eyes, that he cannot be forgotten by love, even after death.
The old song says
Love in her eyes sits playing;
Shakespeare thinks it necessary to controvert the common opinion,
when he says,
Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind.
6. oblito, generally taken in a passive sense, as in Virg. E. 9.
53 Nunc oblita mihi tot carmina. So also Val. Flac. 2. 38. 8.
But is this necessary? Could it not be taken in a quasi-proleptic
sense, to mean ' Love has not clung so lightly to my eyes that my
ashes can be left untended by a forgetting love.' L. 3 shows that
the amore is not his love for her, but hers for him ; it is her forget-
fulness of him which he dreads. Thus oblito amore vacet means
' shall lie unhonoured by a love a love that has forgotten me.'
In other words, there is a double predication combined in one ex-
pression. He might either have said 'that my ashes should be
unhonoured by Love,' or that 'Love should be forgetful of my
ashes.' Here both phrases are welded into one. Moore brings out
this meaning :
Too well rve loved, too blindly, that my bier
Should be unhonoured by a single tear.
Finder's explanation 'Not even in death will thy love be for-
gotten by me ' misses the point. Is it possible that vacet may be
used absolutely, ' lack the honour due to it,' as uncultivated lands
are said vacare ? Oblito amore would then be the ablative absolute,
' thy love forgetting,' ' through the forgetfulness of thy love.' Cp.
4- "-94
Caelibis ad curas nee vacet ulla via.
7. Phylacides. Protesilaus is meant, whose father Iphiclus
was son of Phylacus. The love of Protesilans for Laodamia is
well-known from Ov. Her. 1 3. He obtained leave from the gods
to return to see her for a single day.
Illic, of the regions below, suggested by the word pulvis in
1. 6.
8. caecis in locis. These words take up and expand the Illic
of 1. 7 by a kind of apposition, and contrast finely with immemor.
208 NOTES.
'Not there even in that land of darkness could Protesilaus,'
etc.
9. cnpidns goes with Phylacides, 1. 7, and Thessalis umbra
is the predicate : ' He came in the character of a shade.'
falsis goes primarily with palmis. Just as gaudia were called
falsa in I. 8. 29 because there was no solid ground for their exist-
ence, so here the hands are falsae because unsubstantial. But a
reference to that line will show that the idea of falsis is intended to
be thrown over gaudia as well as palmis :
Falsa licet cupidus deponat gaudia livor.
The recurrence of the three words falsa, cupidus, gaudia can
scarcely be accidental.
11. imago. Finder suggests an allusion to the 'image' of
Protesilaus, which Laodamia made and worshipped after his second
death.
tua dicar imago. It is hard to determine whether the pre-
dicate of the sentence be tua imago or tua only. In the latter
case, imago will mean only a shade : ' Shade though I be,' or ' In
my phantom form I shall still be called thine.' In the former case,
imago must have some further meaning, ' I shall be called thy
semblance or representative.' ' I shall be held to present thy form, 1
i.e. not merely that he would be known as a shade to be still
devoted to her, but that he was so identified with her, their per-
sonalities were so joined together, that his shade would be said to be
not his only but hers also.
dicar. In accordance with his usual tendency, Propertius pre-
fers to say ' I shall be called thine,' than simply ' I shall be thine.'
12. Traicit, in its intransitive sense, 'passes the bounds of
Fate,' i.e. of Death. Traicere is also used transitively when
it may be constructed with two Accusatives, one of the object
crossed, the other of the thing sent across it. Thus Caesar B. G. i . 83
Caesar Germanos flumen traicit, ' sends the Germans across the
river.'
fati litora. Cp. una ratis fati 2. 28. 39.
maguus amor. The epithet is either specific, ' A potent
love ' or general, ' The mighty power of Love.'
With this magnificent line read in connection with 11. 18-20
cp. Byron, who thus speaks of a love severed by death :
Yet did I love thee to the last
As fervently as thou,
Who didst not change through all the past,
And carist not alter now.
PROPERTIUS, I. 19., 9-22. 209
The Love where Death has set his seal
Nor age can chill nor rival steal,
Nor falsehood disavow :
And what were worst thou caifst not see
Or wrong or change or fault in me.
Propertius, on the contrary, held that love was continued after
death (1. 12) ; that the shade of the dead one would still feel for the
living (1. 18), and resent any want of affection (2. 13. 41-42).
13. chorus, in apposition to heroinae : ' let them come in a
body.' Hous. thinks the Latin requires formosus.
14. The fate of which Hector emphatically warns Andro-
mache in the Iliad when he goes out to battle. The most famous
of the class were Cassandra, Andromache, Helen.
15. If Quarum be retained, it must be equivalent to Sed
carum. Heinsins, followed by Palmer, reads Harum.
fuerit, fut. perf., implying that his judgment will be final
and abiding.
16. ita probably goes with sinat: ' May Earth grant this to be
so.' As this is somewhat tautological, some would take ita with
iusta : ' May Earth, just only on the condition that she does so,
grant,' i. e. in no other way than by granting his prayer can she
deserve the name of Just. This use of ita is analogous to that where
it is followed by ut with the indicative. The full phrase would be
Tellus ita itista est ut sinit : ' May Earth grant my prayer ; she is
only just in proportion as she does so. 1 See note on Tib. 2, i. 63.
17. fata senectae, i. e. ' fate consisting of old age.'
18. ossa, ' thy bones.' Sunt is omitted. The line is a harsh
way of saying that whenever her death comes, he, though a shade,
will moisten her remains with his tears.
19. Qtiae refers to the general idea of the preceding line, his
love for her when dead.
mea fa villa, a very peculiar ablative: 'on the occasion of
my death.' So exactly morte mea 3. 6. 24.
20. non ullo loco, i. e. ' come when or where it may.'
21. contempto, of indifference or neglect. Bustum, connected
with uro, buro, is properly the place where the body was burned.
As the spot was frequently marked by a monument, and as the most
usual form of monument was a sarcophagus with half-length sculp-
tures of the deceased and his family upon the top, the word thus
came to bear the meaning of a half-figure or ' bust.'
22. hen. So H., no doubt correctly, for the MS. e or e, appa-
rently a common abbreviation.
P
210 NOTES.
iniquus, of a rival in love. So above, 8. 27, rumpantur iniqui.
It is hard to see how Finder gets the meaning 'a passion alien to me.'
24. certa, i. e. even a faithful maiden.
minis, the threats of interested friends. Paley quotes Ov. Fast.
2. 806
Nee prece, nee pretio, nee movet ille minis.
25. Quare. Prosaic as the word seems, Propertius is fond of
introducing a final couplet with it: so i. 5. 31 and 9. 33. The
word has reference not to the lines immediately preceding, but to
the general sense of the whole piece. ' With the grave and all its
doubts thus before us, let us love while we may.' The absence of
caesura in this line makes it very inharmonious.
26. ullo temper o can only mean ' in any time, however long : '
' No time is long enough for love.' This indefinite use of ullus, to
signify time of boundless duration, is peculiar. The idea is, ' You could
name no time i.e. no period of time which would be long for love.'
25, 26. This last couplet recalls the exquisite lines of Catullus :
Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus:
Soles occidere et redire possunt:
Nobis, quum semel occidit brevis lux,
Nox est perpetua una dormienda.
I. 22.
Propertius closes this first Book of his Elegies after the manner of
Roman poets (see esp. Hor. Epp. 1.20) with an autobiographical refer-
ence to himself. It is addressed to Tullus the same Tullus, presumably,
to whom the ist, 6th, and I4th Elegies of this book are addressed in
answer to his queries as to the poet's birth. He was born, he says, in
Umbria, where that province comes closest to the walls of Perusia.
1. Quails, as well as unde, is to be taken with genus. ' What
and whence my family, you ask.' The double interrogation is frequent
in Greek, commonly without a copula, as irov ir6Gtv "yryws ; etc.
quails genus can scarcely mean, as Postgate puts it, 'of what
kind of family,' but rather ' of what kind in point of family,' i. e. ' of
what family.'
Penates, the proper Latin equivalent for ' Home.' It is
doubtful whether the word domus ever bears this meaning.
2. pro nostra amicitia, a common phrase. In this and
similar phrases pro indicates that there is a proportion, a corre-
spondence, a natural connection, between the thing said or done and
the noun governed by the preposition. You ask me 'as a friend ;'
PROPERTIUS, I. 19., 24-2622., 1-4. 211
' as befits onr friendship ; ' ' as is natural for you, being my friend,
to do.' So the common phrase pro virili parte means ' as befits a
man ; ' ' as a man should do ; ' 'to the utmost of his ability.'
semper should be taken with quaeris. Postgate's references
(especially Virg. Aen. i. 198) scarcely justify the extreme harshness
of taking the word with amicitia as if it were an adjective.
3. He marks his birthplace by its neighbourhood to Perusia,
a town which had gained evil notoriety by the terrible scenes at-
tending its siege and capture by the army of Octavianus in B.C. 41.
The consul, L. Antonius (brother of the Triumvir), had declared
against him, and finding himself unable to keep the field, shut
himself up in that strongly posted town.
The Perusian War is always spoken of with horror by the Au-
gustan poets. Its outbreak gave rise to a feeling of despair : it
seemed as if there was to be no end of civic discord. It was this
war which prompted Horace's most despondent utterances, Epod. 7
and 1 6. Interesting memorials of the siege and sufferings attendant
upon it are preserved in the Museo Kircheriano at Rome, hi the
shape of leaden and other bullets hurled from slings between the
combatants, some of them inscribed with insulting messages. The
mere name of the place calls up to Propertius' mind the notions of
Death and Discord.
' The Perusian tombs of our country ' may mean either (i) * That
Perusia in which our countrymen found their tomb,' i. e. ' The
tombs of our countrymen at Perusia,' or (2) ' That Perusia in which
our country (i. e. our country's hopes) found a grave.' In the former
case the expression is analogous to such phrases as Tyrrhenusque
tubae clangor, etc., so common in Lucretius. Line 4 seems to suggest
the latter interpretation, and is well illustrated by Cat. 68. 89
Troia (nefas /) commune sepulcrum
Europae Asiaeque,
and cp. 2. i. 27
civilia bust a Philippos.
4. Italiae, doubtless to be constructed both with funera and
temporibus. Translate : ' In that dire hour of Italy ; ' ' In Italy's
hardest, darkest hour.' Funera is in apposition to sepulcra,
3, 4. These lines exhibit strongly a characteristic of Propertian,
and indeed of all ancient, poetry. They are deeply pathetic ; yet there
is not one word which of itself suggests feeling. The simple
external reality is put before us in all its hardness and coldness,
without one softening touch ; but so truly is the description drawn,
that if we only fairly realise it, the appropriate feeling rises of itself, and
P 2
212 NOTES.
as if created by our own minds, affects them with double force. How
different from the gush of much modern so-called poetry or oratory,
where words of passionate feeling are thrown away before an
attempt has been made to depict the things, to summon up the
ideas, which would justify them ! The lines before us form a com-
position of the deepest tragedy : ' Perusia our country's grave
the hard death-time of Italy.' Every touch is instinct with feeling,
yet not one word expresses it. It is hard to refrain from translating
dura by 'sad:' yet that would be perhaps to modernise the pas-
sage.
5. discordia, personified. ' The demon of civic strife.'
egit Postgate translates 'hounded on,' quoting Ov. Met. 14. 750
quam iam deus ultor agebat,
and Hor. Epod. 7. 17.
But surely this idea is quite foreign to the word. ' To hound on '
is to set dogs on to attack some one. There is no one here to be
attacked. The notion of agere is simply ' to drive,' best illustrated
by the common phrase for plundering, ' agere et ferre,' agere referring
to cattle, ferre (or rapere} to portable property. The picture is that
of a Fury or other evil power driving on remorselessly jaded and
worn-out herds, and allowing them no rest. We say ' to drive dis-
tracted' in much the same sense. -Cp. the fate of lo, otOTpoir\T].
Postgate also quotes Luc. 6. 777
Effera Romanes agitat Discordia Manes;
but the sense of ' hounding on ' would require some object of attack or
purpose to be named, as in the fine but quite different passage, Virg.
Aen. 8. 678, where Augustus before Actium is gathering all Italy to
war:
Hinc Augustus agens Italos in praelia Caesar
Cum patribus populoque, Penntibus et magnis Dis.
Here the meaning is not ' hounding on,' but ' gathering in.'
6. Bed. So Palmer, I have no doubt correctly. There is an ana-
coluthon here. Tibi, 1. 3, refers to Tullus, and the whole passage 2-10
amounts to this: 'If thou knowest Perusia, then know that I was born
just outside her walls.' But the mention of Perusia turns the poet into
a digression in which he apostrophises the soil of the Perusian plain,
on which his relative was cast out unburied: ' Yet mine chief should
be the grief.' The reading sit arose from the connection not being
understood.
pnlvis, feminine, as in Ennius and several times in Propertius,
who however has it masculine also.
7. perpessus eti, ' couldst endure to see.' Or rather perhaps,
PROPERT1US, I. 22., 5-10. 213
'the casting forth of my friend's body was a thing thou didst endure,'
i.e. as an indignity. This seems better than to suppose esse omitted.
8. solo. The expression is peculiar : the pulvis is represented as
not covering the body with the so/urn, though both pulvis and solum
refer to the same thing.
9. coating-ens adds nothing to the sense of proxima, except to
define it more closely. ' Next to the plain below, and coming right
up to it.'
10. terris, 'soil.' In French the plural terres is used for a
country estate.
II. I.
It would appear from this poem that Maecenas had been exerting
his influence with his prottgt, Propertius, to induce him to employ
his muse in the service of Augustus and his government. It has
been frequently pointed out with what consummate political tact
Maecenas turned to account his own undoubted literary tastes in the
interests of his patron, with a view to reconciling the Roman world to
the government of its new master. The marvellous originality of this
idea, as well as its singular and immense success, has perhaps been
less generally acknowledged. Having ascended to power by a short
and unscrupulous career of violence a career unrelieved by a tinge of
unselfish patriotism, and darkene'd by cold-blooded crime Augustus
succeeded, not merely in arresting for a time that disintegration of
the empire which Horace thought imminent when he wrote the Six-
teenth Epode ; not merely in securing for himself a period of un-
resisted authority : besides all this he succeeded in imposing himself
upon the imagination of his countrymen not for his lifetime merely,
but for succeeding generations as a beneficent and all-wise ruler, as
the healer of his country's sores, as the long-expected deliverer who
was to restore the peace and prosperity of the Golden Age, as the
legitimate and divinely-appointed successor of Aeneas, of Romulus,
and of every true Roman worthy; as not only entrusted with a divine
mission, but as being himself worthy to become a god, and to trans-
mit a claim to divinity not only to every one of his own descend-
ants, but to an infinite series of successors. So magnificent a political
success has never before or since been achieved in this world : never
before or since have not only the physical forces of a great country,
but its whole mind and imagination, been carried into so complete
and abiding a captivity. The secret of this great achievement lies
in the fact that under the inspiration, and through the help, of a
minister marvellously fitted to play such a part, Augustus succeeded
214 NOTES.
in laying hold of the whole intellect of a people which had just risen
to its full intellectual strength, and in attaching to himself and his
government, as enthusiastic champions, the master-minds in whom
.that intellectual strength was embodied. Napoleon III tried in vain
to attach to himself the intellect of France, and he fell : Augustus
succeeded. And if we reflect how weary of the display of brute
force, how polished, how receptive of ideas, how sensitive to artistic
form, was the Rome of the Augustan age, we can without difficulty
understand how irresistible was the force exerted upon the imagination
of the time by a cause which was accepted as a fundamental article of
faith by its noblest spirits, which was proclaimed as a gospel, and
ardently advocated on every ground personal, political, literary, reli-
gious by the whole power of a literary cluster of which Virgil, Horace,
Livy, Ovid, Propertius, and Tibullus were, after all, only the brightest
stars. All this advocacy was obtained silently, and mainly through
the instrumentality of Maecenas. With Propertius, as with Horace,
Maecenas used all his influence, under cover of a regard for his
literary reputation, to induce him to turn his muse to higher themes,
to urge her to soar a higher flight ; Propertius, like Horace, under
cover of a refusal, adds a new point to the praises which he professes
himself inadequate to render. His whole inspiration, he declares,
comes from Cynthia ; he is unworthy of a loftier theme ; had the
power been his, he would have chosen to sing of the exploits of
Caesar and Maecenas before all other topics : but he must needs
refrain, like Horace, Od. i. 6. 9,
DKIII pudor
Imbellisque lyrae Musa potens vetat
Laudes egregii Caesaris et tuas
Culpa deterere ingeni.
1. amores. poems on Love. Writers of Love poetry are con-
stantly apologising for not turning to graver themes. Cp. Spenser,
Faerie Queene, Bk. 4, Introduction :
The rugged forehead that with grave foresight
Welds kingdomes causes ami affairs of state,
My looser rimes, I wote, doth sharply wife
for praising Love, as I have done of late,
And magnifying lover? dear debate.
2. veniat mollis, lit. ' comes soft (i.e. amorous) in the mouth,'
mollis being the real predicate. In ora may refer to the mouth of
some one reading out the poems, or to the poet's own mouth ;
probably the latter. The poet is supposed to recite as he composes.
3. Calliope, the Epic muse.
PROPERTIUS, II. I., 1-6. 215
5. The construction of sive, repeated in each couplet down to
1. 1 6, is peculiar. The usual construction of sive sive, as of our
disjunctives 'whether or,' is that each has a verb to itself in protasis,
while the apodosts consists of one single verb, which is applicable to
both or more alternatives. Thus Plaut. Trin. i. 2. 146
seu recte seu perverse facto, sunt,
Egomet fecisse cotifiteor.
' Whether it was well or badly done, I confess that I did it.' In the
passage before us, each fresh alternative introduced by sive has an
apodosis of its own, so that the sense is not represented by ' whether
or or,' but by 'If or if if again,' etc. See Ovid. Am. 2. 7. 9
Sive bonus color est, in te quoque frigidus esse,
Seu malus, alterius dicor amore mori.
In 1. 15 again seu and sive are thrown in almost as surplusage, add-
ing nothing to the sense, which is completely expressed by the
summing-up words quidquid fecit, quodcumque est locuta. It is
impossible to translate seu and sive in that line, unless we allow
quidquid, quodcumque to lose their relative force (' whatsoever ') and
simply stand for ' anything at all.' A somewhat similar use of seu
occurs 4. 2. n, where it joins together two piincipal verbs, without
any subordinate verb :
Seu, quia vertentis fructum praecepimus anni,
Vertumni rursus creditur esse sacrum.
Here seu simply means ' or else.' An exactly similar example occurs
4. 10. 47.
incedere, of the stately, majestic walk of a tall person, or a
goddess, as Virg. Aen. i. 405, of Venus, Et vera incessu patuit dea,
and of Cynthia herself, 2. 2. 6
incedit vel love digna soror.
coccis . a conjecture of Lachmann, can scarcely be right, for though
Cynthia was doubtless fond of gay colours (see 2. 29. 26) a finite
verb is needed to go with sive, and it seems harsh to understand vidi
from 1. 7. Some propose vidi, which would give a clumsy repe-
tition. Possibly cogis, read by some MSS., may be right : but the
passage seems to require a verb in the first person. Lachmann alters
the order of the third, fourth, and fifth couplet, putting them in this
order : five, four, three. In this way the reference to the lyre comes im-
mediately after that to Apollo and her ingenium in the second couplet,
and vidi can be supplied readily in 1. 5 if preceded by 11. 7, 8.
6. Coa veste. Silk was manufactured in Cos from an early
time, and its introduction into Rome was denounced as a sign of
corrupt luxury, Hor. Sat. i. 2. 101
2l6 NOTES.
Cots te paene videre est
Ut nudam.
e Coa veste . . . erit, ' will be wholly made up of.'
7. It would seem from this line that the Roman ladies had
adopted ' the bang ' of modern fashion.
8. laudatis, the emphatic word.
9. lyrae carmen would seem to be used not of the voice only,
but of the melody of the instrument, as in 4. 6. 32
Aut testudineae carmen inerme lyrae.
So too 2. 3. 19
Et quantum, Aeolio cum temptat carmina plectra.
carmen percnssit, ' struck out the tune ' by striking the chords.
So KptKttv (H(\os Theocr. Epig. 5. 2. 5 and Ovid Trist. 4. 10. 50
ferire carmina lyra. The line last quoted seems to show that
striking by the plectrum is referred to, and not by the fingers : digitis
eburnis will in that case be used metaphorically to indicate the
material of which the plectrum was made.
10. facilis, ' skilful,' ' handy.' This is analogous to the use of
facetus in Plautus, which, coming from facto, means regularly ' clever,'
' handy,' ' dexterous,' scarcely ever ' witty ' or ' facetious.'
premat mantis, of pressing the fingers against the strings,
with or without the plectrum. Our word is ' touches.'
11. One MS. gives somnus, a tempting reading. Somnum of
course goes with poscentes.
12. Notice the artistic position of poeta: 'a thousand new reasons
for my poetry.'
15. Explained above on 1. 5.
5-16. For this whole passage we may compare
There is an epic in her eyes,
A drama in her wavy tresses.
An idyll in her low replies ;
Even the rustle of her dresses
As, light of foot, she trips along,
Is matter for a lover's song. Anon.
17. Quod ... si. Very rarely separated as here by an inter-
vening word.
tantnm, expanded by ut in 1. 18 : ' so much as this that,' etc.
18. heroas ducere mantis. The poet, by a common figure,
is said himself to do the things which he describes. Cp. Thuc. I. 5
Kal ol ira\aiol ruv iroirjrwv, ras irvorets ruiv Karan\tuvrcav iravraxov
opoiox ipa>Tu>vTs (I Ai/ffTot tiaiv.
19,20. The allusion is to the attempt made by Otus and
PROPERTIUS, II. i., 7-26. 217
Ephialtes, sons of Aloeus (hence called the Aloidae), to scale the
heavens by piling the three mountains here mentioned upon each
other. Propertius avoids the error of Virgil, according to which
Olympus, the biggest of the three mountains, is placed upon the
top: Geo. i. 281
Ter sitnt conati imponere Pelio Ossam,
Scilicet, atque Ossae frondosum involvere Olympum.
See Ramsay's Extracts from Ovid, p. 246. Here Olympus is placed
at the bottom, and Pelion on top of Ossa.
20. ut, connected with impositam, as though that word had
ita before it : ' Ossa so placed on Olympus that Pelion was the way
to heaven,' i. e. was placed on the top. Some MSS. read impositum,
but Ossa is feminine in Ov. Am. 2. i. 14.
22. The reference apparently is to the cutting through of the
isthmus of Mount Athos, by which ' two seas ' could be said to have
'come together.' Juvenal sceptically alludes to this undoubted
achievement, Sat. 10. 174
Creditur olim
Velificatus Athos, et quidquid Graecia mendax
Audet in historia.
The gigantic work of which traces still exist employed a vast
multitude of men, and took three years to execute. But it is not
impossible that the words may refer to the bridging of the Hellespont,
which made the two continents one, and therefore appealed more
to the imagination than the much greater, though useless, work of
cutting through the isthmus of Mount Athos. Vadum is used strictly
of shallow water, the water close to the shore. Thus, with reference
to a swimmer's danger, we have the proverb, Omnis res est iam in
vado, ' All is now safe.' Bina coisse vada might therefore refer to
the shore-waters of the two continents joined together by the bridge.
24. The allusion of course is to the magnificent victory of
Marius over the Cimbri at Campi Raudii, near Vercellae, in his fifth
consulship, B.C. 101.
benefacta, ' the splendid exploits,' should perhaps be written in
two words, as in the line quoted by Cic. 2. 18. 62 from Ennius:
Bene facia male locata male facia arbitror.
25. res, in contrast to bella, would seem to denote the political
achievements of Augustus.
26. cura, ' the object of my attention,' ' of my song.' Cura
is often used specially of love, as Prop. i. 15. 31 tua sub nostro . . .
pectore cura, and so of a loved object, as in Virg. E. 10. 22 tua cura
Lycoris.
218 NOTES.
27. Mutinam, referring to the outbreak of civil war after Caesar's
murder. The consuls Hirtius and Pansa, at the head of the senatorial
forces, were both killed in the moment of victory before Mutina in
B. c. 43 : Ovid marks his birth by that event, Trist. 4. 10. 6
Cum cecidit fato consul uterque pari.
civilia busta Philippos. A very harsh apposition, like
patriae sepulcra, Italiae funera in I. 22. 3, 4.
28. classica, ' naval.' In allusion to the final campaign
carried out with great vigour against Sextus Pompey in Sicily, B. c.
36. For classica see note on Tib. i. i. 4.
29. Alluding to the siege of Perusia: see i. 21. 2, and note on
i. 22.3.
30. Ptolemaeei. This seems the proper form of the adjective.
The Latin form of the name is Ptolemaeus, corresponding to the
Greek nro\f/j.cuos ; from this the Greek adjective would be n-roAt-
IMifios, which would naturally become Ptolemaecus in Latin. The
MSS. and edd. vary much, as might be expected.
Pharos is usually feminine, but occurs masculine in Suet. Claud.
20. It is properly the name of the island still called Faro, opposite
the mouth of the harbour of Alexandria, on which Ptolemy Phila-
delphus (reigned B.C. 285-247) built his famous lighthouse. Caesar
speaks of it with admiration B. C. 3. 112. Hence the word came to
signify ' a lighthouse ' in general, in which sense it is preserved in
the French phare. The event alluded to is the capture of Alexandria
by Octavianus in B. c. 30, which was the immediate consequence of the
battle of Actium. From this final victory dates the true commence-
ment of the reign of Octavianus as the undisputed ruler of the Roman
empire. Horace celebrates the event or rather the death of Cleo-
patra which immediately succeeded it in an ode of triumphant
exultation, i. 37, and fifteen years afterwards he emphatically dates
the Empire of Augustus from that day : Od. 4. 14. 34
nam tibi, quo die
Portus Alexandrea supplex
Et vacuum patefecit an/am,
Fortuna lustra prospera tertio
Belli secundos reddidit exitus,
Laudemque et optatum peractis
Imperils decus arrogavit.
31. Aeffyptnm, so the old edd. Hertzberg follows G. and Per.
in reading Cyprum, which certainly is close to the Cyptum of N.
Cyprus, after having long been attached to Egypt, had become an inde-
pendent kingdom ; it was annexed to Rome by the shameful Bill of
PROPERTIUS, II. i., 27-33. 219
Clodius, B.C. 58 ; Antony presented it to the children of Cleopatra;
and after the battle of Actium it became an imperatorial province. Its
fate therefore might well be mentioned separately from that of Egypt.
cum atratus. N. has cum attraetus, others contractus or con-
tactus, from which Palmer and Baehrens have both independently
conjectured atratus. With that reading the idea will be that the
Nile was in mourning when representations of himself and his seven
mouths were borne along in the triumph of Octavianus. Prop.
3. 5. 34 affords an excellent illustration, both as to sense and reading.
The Sun's horses in eclipse are represented as being in mourning :
Solis et atratis luxcrit orbis equis ;
and there, as here, atratis has been changed, in Gron. to attractis,
in Per. to actractis. With atratus Palmer reads urbe. That
pictures of rivers were carried along in triumphs is well known :
thus Pers. 6. 47
ingentesque locat Caesonia Rhenos.
So Ovid, Art. i. 223, where the Tigris and Euphrates are pointed out
as part of a triumphal show. More to the point is Virg. Aen. 8. 711,
where the Nile himself is represented on the shield of Aeneas as
grieving at the defeat of Cleopatra, and in immediate connection
with Caesar's triple triumph :
Contra autem magno maerentem corpore Nilum,
Pattdentemque sinus, et tota veste vocantem
Caeruleum in gremium latebrosaque flumina victos.
If we read tractus in urbem the idea will be that of the Nile
brought in triumph from Egypt to Rome, which is merged 1. 32
in the more natural idea of the great seven-mouthed river flowing
weak through sorrow.
32. Mark the stately but subdued cadence of this line, so fitting
to the sense. The very division into seven seems to proclaim the loss
of power and glory to the river, as though a victim to the maxim
Divide et impera. The idea of 'the Nile enchained and dragged to
Rome as a captive with its seven mouths* scarcely deserves the epithet
' happy ' given to it by Paley.
33. As a Roman could never be supposed to conquer, or obtain
a triumph over, Romans, the triumph was ostensibly held over the
native princes who had befriended Antony, such as Philadelphus,
king of Paphlagonia, Amyntas of Pisidia, Deiotarus of Galatia. In
the same way Caesar in B. c. 46 did not triumph over Pompey, Scipio,
or Cato, but over Pharnaces and Juba.
These lines are an exact counterpart to Hor. Od. 4. 3. 6, where it
is said of the poet
220 NOTES.
neque res bcllica Deliis
Ornatum foliis ducem,
Quod rcgum tumidas contuderit minas,
Ostendct Capitolio ;
and again Epod. 7. 7
Intactus out Britannus ut descenderet
Sacra catenatus via.
The Triumphal Procession entered the city from the Campus Martius,
where it was marshalled by the Porta Triumphalis (close to the
river, used only on such occasions \ made the entire circuit, or more
strictly a three-quarter circuit, of the Palatine, passing through the
Circus in its course. On reaching the summit of the Velia where
now stands the Arch of Titus it descended into the Forum by the
Via Sacra, having now the Capitol full in front.
34. cnrrere, joined with Cyprum, Nilum, colla, as an object to
canerem in 1. 31. Somewhat similar is Virg. Aen. 8. 656, of the goose,
Gallos in limine adesse canebat.
It would hence appear that the prows of the ships conquered at
Actium were carried in the triumphal procession.
35. The art of the poet is here compared to that of weaving, as
it so often is to that of spinning. In the latter case the idea seems
to be simply that of drawing out verses like a thread or ' line,' as in
Hor. Epp. 2. i. 225 tenui deducta poematafilo, and Prop. i. 16. 41
At tibi saepe novo deduxi carmina mrsu.
In the former case the idea is that of composition as a whole, as
Sen. Epp. 114. 1 8 contexere librum. Quint. 9. 4. 19 distinguishes an
oratio vincta atque contexta from one sohita, i. e. ' compact,' ' well
put together.' Cp. our word ' context.' Here the idea is that the
name of Maecenas would necessarily be woven into bound up with
any account of Caesar's exploits.
36. There is nothing in the words sumpta et posita pace to sug-
gest the idea that Maecenas actually took part in any of Augustus'
campaigns. There is every reason to believe he did not : though
Hor. Epod. i. i. 8 shows that Maecenas had contemplated taking
part in that of Actium.
fidele caput. There is tenderness, as well as praise, in these
words. It is instructive to note the difference between the Latin
and English uses of the words ' head ' and ' heart.' The ancients
believed the heart to be the seat of intelligence : hence Pers. 6. 10
Cor jubet hoc Enni, in imitation of Lucilius' Egregie cordatus homo,
who meant that Ennius was a man of genius, i. e. ' had a good head.'
Caput, on the other hand, denoted primarily the physical life : to
expose the caput to peril was to expose the life, or as we should
PROPERTIUS, II. I., 34-38. 221
say ' the body,' as distinguished from the mind or soul. From thus
meaning ' the physical life ' or ' body,' the word came to be used
specially as a term of endearment, as what is primarily loved, or
at least caressed, is the body, not the mind. Thus in Plautus we
have such phrases as caput carum,festivum, lepidissimum, ridiculum,
and in Virg. Aen. 4. 354
Me pucr Ascaniiis capitisque iniuria cart.
It thus comes about that while we may sometimes, as above, have
to translate cor by ' head,' so we may sometimes render caput by
' heart,' as in the passage before us. Carum caput is just ' dear
heart ; ' cp. the Greek fyiKov %rop. Other special meanings of caput,
such as capitis poena, ' capital punishment,' caput, ' the sum of a
Roman citizen's rights,' etc., are derived from the sense of 'life.'
37, 38. These lines have been generally misunderstood, and
in consequence the connection of ideas has been made to appear
more abrupt than it really is. Two cases of famous friendships are
appealed to that of Theseus and Pirithous, and that of Achilles
and Patroclus. Theseus, king of Athens, proved his friendship for
Pirithous, son of Ixion (hence Ixionides), by assisting him in his
mad endeavour to cany off Proserpine from the lower world.
Achilles showed his affection for Patroclus, son of Menoetins (hence
Menoetiades), by the fury with which he avenged his death, and by
giving up for that purpose his anger against the Greeks. Accord-
ing to the common interpretation, these cases are referred to simply
as instances of great friendships, with which Propertius wished to
compare the friendship of Augustus and Maecenas. Thus the two
lines serve to illustrate only 1. 34, and the meaning is, ' Theseus
in the world below,' lit. ' to those below,' ' Achilles in the world
above, call Pirithous and Patroclus as witnesses to their friendship.'
But this rendering breaks the coherence of the passage, and dis-
connects entirely 1. 36 from 11. 37-40, which contain its main idea.
Testatur may mean not only ' calls to witness,' ' summons as
witnesses,' but also ' bears witness to,' ' attests,' as in 3. 7. 21
Sunt Agamemnoirias testantia littora euros.
Propertius has just said, ' I would sing the deeds of Augustus and
thine, Maecenas, his faithful friend, had I the power.' He goes on,
' Theseus to the world below, Achilles to the world above, bear
testimony to their friends Pirithous and Patroclus ; but Callimachus
had not the power to thunder forth the battles of Zeus, nor have I
the power to tell in heroic verse the glories of Augustus.' Thus the
connection of ideas is complete. No doubt in naming these heroic
friendships the poet intended also to imply that the friendship of
Augustus and Maecenas was as notable as theirs; but his main
222 NOTES.
point was that these heroes had each a friend who could worthily
celebrate their praises, but that he had not the power to celebrate
the glories of Augustus.
39. Phleg-raeos. The Phlegraei campi (ra <f>\(ypaia ireSia)
was the name given to the volcanic region which extends along the
coast of Campania to the north of Naples (now called Solfatara\ and
which was the supposed scene of the victory over the Titans and
their punishment by Zeus. Cp. 3. 9. 48.
40. Intonet, with potential force, implying not merely that
Callimachus did not sing the battles of Zeus, but that he felt himself
incompetent to do so.
angnsto pectore gives the reason for his incompetence. F.
has augusto, a not impossible reading : ' with all that great heart of
his, he yet,' etc.
41. conveninnt, personally, by a rare use, instead of the usual
impersonal convenit. Such phrases however as res convenit, even
condiciones (pacts} convenerunt (Nepos), are found. Here the sense
is ' nor is my genius fitted.'
dn.ro . . . versu, of epic hexameter verse, in distinction to the
soft and tender strains of elegiac poetry. Cp. the Epigram of
Domitius Marsus upon Tibullus :
Te quoque Vergilio comitem non aequa, Tibulle,
Mors iuvenem canipos misit ad Elysios,
Ne foret, aut elegis molles qui fleret amores,
Ant caneret forti regia bella pede.
Cp. too 2. 34. 44
Inqtie tuos ignes, dure pocta, vent,
where the contrast is between amatory poetry (ignes) and Lynceus'
efforts in tragedy (dure poet a).
Mollis is the regular word used by Propertius to describe his
own poetry ; in 3. 3. 1 8 he speaks of his own mollia prata in con-
trast to heroic verse ; cp. 1. 2 above.
42. condere is used in a somewhat grandiloquent sense for
' to compose,' with such words as carmen, poema, etc. Ovid, in a
passage similar to this, Trist. 2. 336, has
Divitis ingenii est immania Caesaris acta
Condere.
Here there seems to be an additional idea taken from other mean-
ings of condo, such as ' to store up,' ' to lay by,' of treasure, etc., so as
to give a sense at once of value, of permanence, and of remoteness ;
he is unfit to go back, as it were, to the remotest times, and assign
Caesar a lasting place among his Phrygian ancestors.
PROPERTIUS, II. I., 39-65. 223
51. Prop, here assumes that Phaedra in vain attempted to
secure the love of her stepson Hippolytus by a love-potion.
53. gramine, of the magic herbs used by Circe.
54. Zolciacis. lolcus, a town in Thessaly, on the Pagasaean
gulf, was the birthplace of Jason. Here Medea by her incantations
restored his aged father Aeson to youth.
urat, i. e. ' set a boiling.' Propertius is not thinking of the
rejuvenescence of Aeson, as some editors suppose, he simply quotes
Medea as a sorceress, and as compassing the death of Pelias. \N~hat
he means is that whatever magical arts may be tried upon him, he
will remain true to Cynthia, and die in no arms but hers'.
57. A new idea here comes in. Love is a disease which alone
of all diseases knows no curing.
58. non amat, ' will have nothing to say to,' ' knows not.'
mortal artificem, i. e. a treater not a manufacturer of
disease. For the whole expression cp. I. 2. 8
Nudus Amor formae non amat artificem.
59. Machaon, son of Aesculapius, cured Philoctetes of his
wound.
Chiron, the gifted and artistic centaur, skilled in medicine, son of
Cronos and Philyra, cured Phoenix, son of Amyntor, of his blind-
ness. See Ov. A. A. I. 337.
61. deus Epidanrins, i.e. Aesculapius, who was specially
worshipped, and according to some accounts born, at Epidaurus.
He restored to life Androgeos, son of Minos king of Crete, who had
been wounded by the Athenian youth in jealousy of his success at
their games.
63. Mysns iuvenis, i. e. Telephus, king of Mysia. He was
wounded by Achilles in endeavouring to prevent his landing on the
coast of Mysia, and was afterwards cured by the rust of the spear
which had wounded him, Plin. H. N. 25. 5.
65. vitium is properly 'a defect' or 'flaw;' such as a crack in
ajar, Pers. 3. 21
Sonat vitium fercussa, maligne
Respondet viridi concocta fidelia limo.
' The jar, made of green ill-baked clay, betrays the flaw by its
unsound ring when struck.' Ovid calls the hole in the wall through
which Pyramus and Thisbe conversed a vitinm, Met. 4. 67. Any
defect in taking the auspices was called a vitium : hence the phrases
magistratus vitio creati, tabemaculum vitio captum. Mendum or
menda was a lesser defect, Ov. A. A. 2. 361
Kara tamen mendo fades caret.
224 NOTES.
Here, the vitium or ' weakness ' referred to is of course Propertius'
love for Cynthia. In the preceding lines he has declared that all
maladies can be cured except love.
66. Tantalea mann. I have retained, though not without
hesitation, the reading of the MSS., on the principle that a MS.
reading should not be rejected if a satisfactory sense can be ex-
tracted from it. Tantalea manu, if correct, would mean ' with the
hand of Tantalus,' or ' with the hand of a Tantalus ; ' and though
the dative would be more natural after tradere, it is perfectly good
sense to speak of ' offering, or passing on, apples with the hand of a
Tantalus.' In the Odys. n. 581, where the position of Tantalus is
described, emphasis is laid on the fact that he cannot reach the fruit,
etc., with his hand (see the passage quoted on Tib. I. 3. 77) > anc ^
to invert the phrase by using tradere instead of some word meaning
to reach or obtain, is quite in the style of Propertius. The point
was that Tantalus could not handle, though he could see, the apples:
so Propertius can feel, but cannot remove, his own weakness. ' To
hand apples to Tantalus' is a different idea, and imports another
person into the scene. At the same time, Tantaleae is a very
tempting correction. Propertius nowhere uses the dative in -ui : in
I. II. 12 he has the contracted form
Alter nae fad Us cedere lympha ntanu,
and again, 2. 19. 19, reddere pinu Cornua. The same form occurs
Tac. Ann. 3. 30, 33, 6. 23. Horace has the similar form fide for
Gdei Od. 3. 7. 4, and Virg. Geo. i. 208 has die for diet. The
correction to Tantalea is just the correction which an ignorant
scribe would make. A similar doubt as between the dative and
the ablative occurs in 4. 6. 22, where Palmer adopts the reading
Pilaqtte femineae turpiter apta manu.
Just as in this passage, N. reads the ablative feminea manu,
though apta (as here tradere] suggests the dative, and the dative,
on the whole, is best suited to the sense of the passage. See notes.
67. virglneis, referring to the 49 Danaids, who, for murder-
ing their husbands on their bridal night, were condemned to pour
water everlastingly into a bottomless cask.
idem. Note the Latin idiom by which, when two pre-
dicates are referred to a common subject, the English also is repre-
sented not by etiam, but by idem, agreeing with the subject. Cp.
Hor. Od. 3. 19. 28
idem
Pads eras mediusque belli.
Prometheus was punished for his defiance of Zeus by being chained
PROPERTIUS, II. I./ 65-73. 225
to a rock on Mount Caucasus, where his liver was incessantly
fed upon by an eagle.
repleverit. The sense points to the successful performance of
the hopeless task, and therefore the future perfect is the appropriate
tense to use, while the simple future is used in 11. 65, 66, 69 and 70.
71. reposcent. The prefix re is used here, as in many other
words, not to denote restitution, but that the thing is suitable,
natural, or due. Poscent would be a demand which might have no
justification ; reposcent implies a natural, proper, inevitable demand.
' When they shall come to ask,' ' When in the due course of things
they shall ask,' etc. Cp. Juv. 3. 202, of the roof,
molles ubi reddunt ova columbae,
because pigeons may be expected to lay their eggs on the roof.
Again, a field is said reddere fructum, not because it gives back the
seed put into it, or makes a return, but because ' it duly yields.'
72. breve in exig~no. Note the emphasising of the sense by
the juxtaposition of two words of similar meaning. Cp. Hor. Od.
I. 3. 10 and Wickham's note.
73. A difficult line. The text gives spes, the reading of N ;
but I believe that pars, the reading of G, should be adopted.
Whether we read spes or pars, the meaning of invidiosa will be
the same, 'full of the envy of others,' 'the object of envy,' i.e. the
word is used objectively, not, as more usual, subjectively, in the sense
of ' full of envy towards others.' If we read spes, then nostrae must
refer to Propertius himself, who in the phrase nostrae s. i. iuventae
styles Maecenas the hope of his youthful fortunes, adding that his
expectations from Maecenas have made him the object of envy.
Literally the words will mean, ' Thou envy-attracting hope of my
youth.' The phrase is strained and ungainly in itself; but the idea
also is out of place. The poet has declared that his wound cannot
be healed, and, anticipating an early death, calls on Maecenas, his
chief boast and pride, in life and death alike, to linger one moment
at his tomb, and let fall the words, ' Died of unrequited love.'
The idea of hope is foreign to the passage. The poet's race is run ;
he only begs that the one great pride of his life his connection with
Maecenas a connection which has brought envy on him in the
past may not desert him in death, and that Maecenas may stop to
say one word of sympathy over his grave. Hertzberg and Paley,
reading pars, take nostrae iuventae to signify ' our Roman youth,'
quoting the well-known phrase princeps iuventutis, applied to the
young Caesars, and Horace's Maecenas equitum decus. Hertzberg
also laboriously shows that Maecenas might come under the Roman
Q
226 NOTES.
military definition of youth, which included all up to forty-six years
of age under the name luniores. But the whole passage is personal
and passionate in feeling ; the poet never travels from himself ; and
to give a whole line to a description of Maecenas' position breaks
the current of the thought. Propertius simply adjures Maecenas, as
part and parcel of his life, as his boast and glory in life and death
alike, to pay him this last tribute, for pars iuventae cp. Virg. Geo.
2. 40, also addressed to Maecenas,
O decus, o famae merito pars maxima nostrae,
and i. 21. 4
Pars ego sum vestrae proxima militiae.
75. meo . . . bnsto. The dative, apparently after proxima,
but perhaps to be taken along with ducet as well, just as race in
1. 77 goes with favillae
76. Esseda, properly a Celtic war-chariot, from which ap-
parently the pattern of a Roman travelling coach was taken.
Britannus. The gentile name is here used instead of the adjec-
tive Britannicus. So Horace has Flumcn Rhcnum, Metauntm
Flumen, etc., and Propertius Liburna 3. n. 44 ; Inda 3. 13. 5.
78. fatnni . . . fait. Cp. our colloquial phrase ' was the
death of him.' Fato would be the more usual construction.
II. 2. 5-8.
This passage gives a description of Cynthia's personal appearance.
5. Fulva, connected w\\.hfulgeo,fnlmen,fulgur, and so prob-
ably with flagro, Jlamen, fiavus, denotes a gleaming, golden bright-
ness, not equivalent to the ' light flaxen hair so common in those
of Saxon descent ' (Paley\ but probably corresponding rather to
the shade of golden brown to which we give the name of ' auburn.'
Thus the term is applied to lions, Lucr. 5. 902, to wolves, Virg.
Aen. i. 275, to gold, id. 7. 279 and elsewhere, to the eagle, id. 12.
247. The Greek equivalent is (ai>6r>.
6. maxima toto corpore gives the notion of proportion as well
as height : she was tall, and on a large scale throughout. This
prepares us for the stately, graceful walk implied in incedit, and
the comparison which follows with the matronly Juno and the
martial Pallas, the two most majestic of the goddesses of Olympus.
The remains of ancient Greek statuary show us that the ancients had
no admiration for tight-drawn waists and spindle ankles, nor for the
smallness and fineness which go to making up our idea of ' pretty.'
They loved to see in a woman, as in a man, fully-developed limbs,
giving a sense of power as well as freedom ; and the ancient female
PROPERTIUS, II. i., 75-78; II. 2., (,-8. 22;
dress was calculated more to set off the beauty of the figure as a
whole, than to call special attention to the face. Our word ' figure '
is often so narrowed as to refer to the waist only ; but no ancient
statue has a slender waist, and the ankles of all the most celebrated
statues of Venus as e. g. the Venus de Medici and the Venus of
the Capitol have that robust healthy thickness about them which a
horse-fancier would describe by the word ' gummy.'
longae manns. A well-developed tapering hand, fitted to do
well its work in life ; here again the ancients had no idea that a
woman's hand was beautiful in proportion to its approximating to
the hand of a doll. Cp. 3. 7. 60
Attulimus longas in freta vestra manus.
In Catull. 44. 2 long hands are specially mentioned as an essential
to beauty.
incedit, used especially of the majestic walk of Juno, Virg.
Aen. 1 . 46, in a passage probably imitated here by Propertius :
Ast ego quae Divum incedo regina lovisque
Et soror et coniux.
love digna soror, lit. ' worthy of Jove as his sister,' i. e.
worthy to be Jove's sister.
7. Aut cum Pallas spatiatnr is wrongly explained by
Hertzberg as a kind of anacoluthon. The peculiarity of the con-
struction is that Pallas is placed by attraction inside the clause
dependent on cum instead of outside it. The meaning is ' she moves
a very Juno or a Pallas,' ' she moves as a sister worthy of Jove, or as
Pallas when she walks before the altars.' The change suggested to
ut cum is no improvement ; aut ut would make the sense clear were
it not too violent a change. The difficulty is that the particle
of comparison is omitted : Propertius does not say ' She moves as
Juno or Pallas,' but actually identifying Cynthia with the goddess
to whom she is compared : ' She walks a sister worthy of Juno or
Pallas when,' etc.
7. Dnlichias. Dulichium was one of the group of islands
called Echinades, off the coast of Acarnania. Homer, II. 2. 625,
speaks of ' Dulichium and the sacred islands Echinae, which lie
beyond the sea, opposite to Elis.' Strabo identifies Dulichium with
one of the islands called Dolicha (AoAt'xeO in his day. The island
formed part of the kingdom of Ulysses, and was therefore probably
the seat of the worship of his special patroness Pallas.
8. It is evident that at Dulichium the goddess was worshipped
in her martial character, and represented in complete warlike array,
with the aegis on her breast.
Q 2
228 NOTES.
II. 3.
The poet enlarges on the charms of Cynthia, which justify the
absorbing character of his passion.
1. nocere, of the harm, damage, or ' wounding * caused by
love.
2 spiritas, i. e. the poet's boasting that he had cast himself
clear of his love, and was a free man once more. For spiritus,
' breath,' in the sense of pride and boasting, cp. Hor. Sat. 2. 3. 311
Corpore maiorem rides Turbonis in armis
Spiritum et incessum.
The similar use in the Scottish dialect of the word ' wind ' is well
illustrated in the Litany ascribed to the ancestor of the present
Mr. Maxt one- Graham of Cultoquhey. Laird of a small property,
surrounded by four great families, he daily prayed at ' the wishing
well ' of the domain :
From the craft of the Campbells,
from the pride of the Graemes,
From the ire of the Drummonds,
From the wind of the Morays,
Good Lord, deliver us.
4. liber alter. These words are generally referred to the
publication of the First book of the Elegies, as though within one
month the poet began the writing of the Second (see Introd.).
But the reference might be merely to a temporary abjurement of
Cynthia perhaps the same as that referred to in 2. 2. i Liber eram,
etc. and the liber might only be a maxima historia, or one of the
longas Iliadas which the beauty of Cynthia was perpetually forcing
from him, 2. i. 16, 14.
5. quaerebam si, 'I was casting about to see if,' 'I was
trying to discover whether ;' and then follow two impossibilities to
show the futility of the attempt to give up his love.
6. Wee solitus is here equivalent to vel si non solitus or inso-
litus, as is evident from a comparison of si posset 1. 5 with si possem
1. 7. The use of nee as equivalent to et non is frequent in cases where
the negative qualifies the whole sentence which follows. But here
Propertius uses tiec in such a way that its negative only qualifies the
single word solitus. So in 2. 28. 52
Vobiscum Europe nee proba Pasiphae,
nee proba is equivalent to et non proba or et improba. Similarly
PROPERTIUS, II. 3., 1-20. 229
2. 25: 33 <r umquam varans Charybdis is equivalent to et Charyb-
dis quae numquam vorat.
7. stndiis vig-ilare. Vigilare, with the dative, is uncommon.
Invigilare is more usual in this sense.
11. minium, cinnabar, or ore of mercury, of which there are
mines in Spain. Paley refers to the /A.ros of Homer as showing that
red-lead was used very early as a paint. For minium see Virg. E.
10. 27.
12. Cp. Virg. Aen. 12. 68
Indum sanguineo veluti violaverit astro
Si quis ebur, aut mixta rubent ubi lilia multa
Alba rosa: tales virgo dabat ore colores.
With 11. 9-12 we may also compare
There is a garden in her face
Where roses and "white lilies grow ;
and the following lines recall many of the ideas in the passage
11. 9-20 :
It is not beauty I demand,
A crystal brow, the moon's despair,
Nor the snow's daughter, a white hand.
Nor mermaid's yellow pride of hair:
Tell me not of your starry eyes,
Your lips that seem on roses fed,
Your breasts where Cupid tumbling lies,
Nor sleeps for kissing of his bed.
15. si qua may be for si aliqua, as though he were not thinking
of Cynthia only : ' I am not the man to be captivated by every maiden
who,' etc. But as the whole point of the passage is that it gives a
description of Cynthia's charms, it seems more in place to suppose
that qua stands for the ablative, as in the line Virg. Aen. 6. 883
O miserandc puer, si qua fata aspera rumpas,
' If in any way, at any time, she dress herself up in silk,' etc.
16. de nihilo, i. e. having no ground to proceed from, without
sure reason.
17. posito . . . laccho, ' when the wine has been put upon the
table,' i. e. after supper. This use of ' ponere,' to place upon the
table, and so ' to serve up,' is frequent in later Latin. So Pers. I. 53
Calidum scis ponere sumen.
So H. quotes Copa 37
Pone merum et talos : pereat qui crastina curet.
The interpretation ' laid aside ' is out of place.
20. Par may be either the nominative agreeing with the
230 NOTES.
subject, or the accusative after ludere. For luderc dccfa, the favourite
Graecism of Horace, cp. Od. 4. 13 7
Doc toe psallere Chiae
and passim.
19. Et . . . cum. Instead of repeating quod after quantum, he-
uses a new expression, in agreement with the general sense of the
passage: ' as that (I love her) when,' etc.
21. cum is probably the preposition, and the construction is
Committit scripta sua cum {scriptis") Corinnae.
Exactly parallel is 2. 8. 23
Et sua cum miserae permiscuit ossa puellae,
where miserae puellae is the reading of N. (Tyrrell, Hermathena, vol.
2, corr. misera puella}.
The only objection to this natural construction is that Propertius
usually uses the Greek form of genitive and accusative in Greek names
of the first declension, such as Antigones, Persephones, Helenen,
etc. But there are exceptions, as Helenae 3. 8 32, Hermionae \ . 4. 6,
Antiopae i. 4. 5, Ariadna sup. 18, and probably Achilli 4. n. 39,
which are enough to break the rule (see Hertz. Qu. P. 164).
If Corinnae be the dative, cum must be the conjunction, and the
name must go directly with committit, as in Juvenal 6. 378, the
poetess being identified with her poems, so that Corinnae will be
equivalent to scriptis Corinnes. Committere, ' to join,' or ' match,'
is used with an accusative, either of the engagement, as in the phrase
committere praelium, 'to join battle,' or of the combatants engaged.
So Juvenal i. 162
licet Aeneam Rutulumque ferocem
Committas,
and 6. 436, where the literary pretensions of the ' blue stocking ' are
well hit off, Committit votes et comparat. Cp. Mart. 7. 24. i.
22. quae quaevis. So Palmer, interpreting the words ot
Corinna's pride in her own poems : ' who deems no poems, whatever
they be, equal to her own.' But carmina refers more naturally to
scripta, Cynthia's own verses : and the emphasis requires that the
couplet should close with a strong statement of Cynthia's excellence,
not of Corinna's. N. has quae quivis. Gron. has quae lyrnes, from
which Beroaldus conj. Carminaque Erinnes, which is plausible.
Corinna was a poetess of Tanagra in Boeotia, who flourished
in the fifth century, B.C. Erinna was a Lesbian poetess, co-
temporary with Sappho. Quae quivis might possibly mean
' poems which any author, however famous, cannot deem equal to
his own,' i. e. only equal : he must deem them superior. R. Ellis,
PROPERTIUS, II. 3., 19-23. 231
Phil. Journal, xv. p. 13, quotes in illustration of this line Lucian de
Mercede Conductis 38 Ic yap n KOI TOVTO riav d\\cw KaXXonria JULTQIV
ai>Tofs So/cti fjv \(-ff]rai us nfvaiSfvfJ.ffat rt tlal KOI fytXuaotyoi KCU
TToiovffiv aafjiara ov iro\v T^J Sair^oiJs ajroStovra..
23. Num. The Non of N. has been unnecessarily changed to
Num. by the editors. If num be read, it must be interpreted as said
playfully or ironically, so as to be equivalent in meaning to non or
itonne, just as we might say ' Is it true then ? ' where the implica-
tion is, ' Is it not true ?'
Candidus, a certain correction for ardidus. Candidus implies
beauty as a whole : Candida Dido Virg. Aen. 5. 571. bo of Maia,
id. 8. 138, and of Apollo, Hor. Od. I. 2. 31
Aube candentes humeros amictus,
where however the idea is rather of the radiant glory of a god.
Sneezing was a favourable omen, especially for lovers. Cp.
Catullus 43. 9, where in the loves of Acmen and Septimius
Amor sinistra ut ante
Dextra sternuit approbationem.
Burm. quotes Theocr. 7. 96 2i/x' 5 ? P IV fpwts int-nrapov: cp.
Aristoph. Av. 720.
II. 10.
Lachmann and other editors, followed by Paley, believe that this
Elegy marks the commencement of a new book. The poem reads
like a prooemium, containing a formal announcement that the poet
has determined to give up the writing of love verses, and to betake
himself henceforth to singing of wars and warlike deeds, or, in other
words, to add one more to the panegyrists of Augustus. In his own
simple words, 1. 6
Bella canam quando serif ta puella mea est.
Unfortunately the promise is not fulfilled ; for, as Postgate observes,
there is but one poem in the book (2. 31 according to the usual
numbering, on the dedication of the Temple of Apollo), which
specially relates to Augustus, and that poem was obviously written,
as it purports to be, with quite a different motive. Lachmann's theory
quite breaks down ; it is not supported by any evidence to show
that a common purpose can be traced running through any one of
the books of our poet ; it is opposed by the authority of the MSS.,
and it assigns to the second book a bulk so small nine poems in all
as to be out of all proportion with the length of the remaining
books. The best recent editors of Propertius Palmer, Postgate, and
233 NOTES.
Baehrens have rejected Lachmann's arrangement, and all that sur-
vives of his arbitrary changes is the double numbering which causes
such confusion in the references to our poet. The date of the poem
before us is fixed to the year B. c. 24 by the references to the expe-
dition of Aelius Gallus.
1. Sed denotes a sudden break in the author's purpose, and a
turning in a new direction.
lustrare here is ' to career over,' as in Hor. Od. 3. 25. n Pede
barbaro Lustratam Rhodopen. Virgil also associates the word with
choral dancing, Aen. 10. 224
Agnoscunt longe regent lustrantque choreis.
2. ' To give field to his horse ' is a natural expression for giving
free scope to his song, i. e. no longer to be confined to one kind of
poetry.
Haemonia is a poetical name for Thessaly, and Thessaly
was famed from the earliest times both for horses and riders. The
metaphor here is not drawn expressly from chariot-racing, as in
Virg. Geo. 2. 542 ult. and Juv. i. 19. Cicero ad Q. fratrem 2. 15
imitates Pindar's phrase, Pyth. 10. 65, of 'a four-in-hand of poetry,'
where, talking of his own poems, he says cursu corrigam tarditatem,
turn equis, turn vero (quoniam scribis poema ab eo nostrum probari)
quadrigis poeticis. Hertz, quotes Stat. Silv. 4. 7
lanidiu lato spatiata campo
Fortis heroos Erato labores
Differ, atque ingens opus in minores
Contrahe gyros.
3. fortes ad praelia. So. Tib. I. 9. 46
Nam poteram ad laqueos fortior esse tuos.
4. mei duels, i. e. Augustus.
5. Notice the subjunctive deficiant in the protasis followed by
the indicative erit in the apodosis.
6. Iiaus, ta the nominative, for the more usual construction
laudi.
et voluisse, ' the mere will. 1
7. tumultus is properly distinguished from bellum as denoting
a rising in Italy, and especially an outbreak in Cisalpine Gaul. Thus
Cic. Phil. 8. i. 2 Itaque maiores nostri tumultum Italicum, quod
erat domesticus ; tumultum Gallicum, quod erat Italiae finitimus,
praeterea nullum nominabant. Gravius autem tumultum esse quam
bellum hinc intellegi licet, quod hello vacationes valent, tumultu non
valent.
PROPERT1US, II. 10., 1-13. 233
8. quando for quandoquidem. So Juv. 5. 93
Quando onine peractum est
lam mare.
9. subducto seems to refer, as Postgate explains, to the 'draw-
ing up ' of the face or eyebrows as a mark of austerity. Thus
Cell. 19. 7. 16 Vituperones suos subducti supercilii carptores appel-
lavit. The other meaning of subdiictus, ' withdrawn,' ' retired,' is
not appropriate.
10. aliam, 'another and a new lyre,' i.e. a more dignified
strain.
11. As the reading stands, anima, carmina, Pierides, are all
vocatives : ex humili goes closely with surge, and is exactly
parallel to Hor. Od. 3. 30. 12
Dicar . . . ex humili potens
Princeps Aeolium carmen ad Italos
Deduxisse modos,
where the meaning is ' rising to lordly greatness out of a hnmble
lot.' Paley retains carmine, the reading of N., and follows those
editors who punctuate thus :
Surge, auima, ex humili iam carmine sumite vires.
But though his poetry might rise ex humili, it could scarcely be
said to gather strength ex humili ; and the position of iam points
clearly to its being taken with sumite rather than with surge.
12. magul oris opus, ' a grandiloquent, big-mouthed, work. 1
The genitive is descriptive : the phrase, magnum os, which occurs
also Virg. Geo. 3. 294, is analogous to os rotundum Hor. A. P.
323, os magna sonaturum Sat. I. 4. 44, and conveys the idea of
spouting and declamation. Hence it is used here and elsewhere to
denote the more high-flown language of Epic poetry.
13. The one terrible and as yet unavenged defeat which the
Roman arms had sustained at the hand of a foreign foe was the
fatal field of Carrhae, B.C. 53, when Crassus and his son were
slain and the whole Roman army destroyed or captured by the
Parthians. Hence the Parthian name became a name of terror and
shame to the Romans. Caesar was about to set out on a Parthian
campaign when he was assassinated ; and it was the great ambition
of Augustus' life to wipe out the disgrace of Carrhae. This he
effected by diplomacy and a display of force in B.C. 20, when, taking
advantage of the internal dissensions of the Parthians, he obtained
the restoration of the standards lost with Crassus at Carrhae,
received the homage of the king Phraates, and placed Tigranes
upon the throne of Armenia. This event was regarded as the
234 NOTES.
crowning triumph of Augustus' foreign policy ; and it was deemed
so essential to his position as sole ruler of Rome that he should
obtain a great success over the Parthians, that it is not only per-
petually celebrated in terms of triumph by the court poets after it was
obtained, but it is frequently referred to in anticipation. Thus the
mere mention of a Parthian victory is by no means sufficient in
itself to prove that the passage in which it occurs was written after
B.C. 20. The famous lines in Virg. Geo. 3. 30 sqq., in which
the Armenian and Parthian successes of Augustus seem to be
alluded to, were in all probability written in a tone of prophecy ;
for Virgil died in B.C. 19, and theGeorgics were written at least ten
years before the events supposed to be referred to occurred. The
same explanation is to be given with regard to Hor. Od. 2. 9.
18-20, where Parthian successes are spoken of in an Ode which from
other causes can scarcely be dated later than B. c. 23.
In the magnificent statue of Augustus, which now adorns the
Braccio Nuovo in the Vatican, and which was dug up in the Villa
Livia at the Sacra Rubra (now Prima Porto) in 1863, the cuirass is
beautifully sculptured with figures indicating the leading events of
his life. The principal place in the centre is occupied by a represen-
tation of the Parthian envoys handing over the standards to Tiberius.
13. equitem post terga tueri. In allusion to the mode of
fighting peculiar to the Parthians, which struck terror into the
Roman imagination. Their chief arm was a light cavalry, who
were armed with bows and shot from horseback, advancing or
retreating with great rapidity, and so peculiarly adapted to a desert
country where the great heat, the want of water and supplies, the
long distances and the burning sand, rendered the Roman system of
fighting practically impossible. Thus Virg. Geo. 3. 31
Fidentemque fuga Part hum, versisque sagittis.
Cp. Hor. Od. 2. 13. 17 ; in Sat. 2. 1. 15, in a passage exactly parallel
to this, he declares it is not every poet that can sing of wars,
Avt labentis equo described vulnera Parthi.
Cp. Persius 5. 4
Vulnera seu Parthi ducentis ah inguine ferrum.
So again, P;op. 3. 9. 54 describes the Parthian flying shots as
Parlhorum astutae tela remissa fugae.
R. Ellis, Phil. Journ. xv. p. 14, objects to the usual rendering
of this passage, as not giving the natural meaning of the words.
He thinks that the expression is obviously taken from an army or
commander retreating before a victorious foe, and looking back con-
PROPERTIES, II. 10., 13-18. 235
tinually to see whether he is pursuing. But the Euphrates is here
represented as a Parthian river, not as a Roman river (Grasses se
tcnuisse dolef), and there would be no point in saying that the Parthian
river was no longer running away from a victorious foe. The point
is that the Euphrates repents of having kept the Crassi, and declares
that his horsemen no longer cast that terrible glance behind them.
14. tenuisse, ' that it kept them,' i. e. instead of sending them
back unhurt.
15. The word India is probably here used in poetic exaggera-
tion. The only known relation between Augustus and India is that
an Indian embassy is mentioned amongst others as having reached
him in B. c. 20 when in the East. Postgate supposes the reference
to be to a previous embassy of-which Dion Cassius speaks in vague
terms, 54. 9. The poet speaks grandly, as though the whole East
were submitting to Augustus ; the only foundation in fact for such a
boast being that Augustus was meditating an expedition against
Arabia, and had begun to intrigue in Parthian affairs. Arabia was
probably looked upon vaguely as being on the road to India ;
hence Horace couples the two together, Od. 3. 24. I
Intactis opulentior
Thesauris Arabum et divitis Indiae.
16. intactae, ' unrifled.'
Arabiae. The allusion is to the disastrous expedition against
Arabia, conducted by Aelius Callus in B. c. 24. Horace alludes to
this expedition, Od. i. 29. i
led, beatis mine Aral>um invides
Gazis.
As the commentators point out, the words te tremit point to a time
previous to the disaster.
Arabia has here the first syllable long, for sake of the metre, as
in i. 14. 19. Poets allow themselves great license in the case of
proper names. Thus we have f talus and I talus, Sicdntis, Sic&ntus
and Sicants, Cytherd and Cythcrdd, and we need not feel squeamish
about admitting Apuliis side by side with Apulia in the much-
tortured passage Hor. Od. 3. 4. 9, 10
Me fabulosae Vulture in Appulo
Altricis extra limen Apuliae,
where none of the proposed emendations deserve adoption.
17. 18. These lines complete the circle of prophetic boastful-
ness. The reference in 1. 17 is of course to Britain. So Horace in
Od. i. 21. 13, an Ode which was probably written in B. c. 28, pro-
phesies victories to Augustus over East and West alike :
236 NOTES.
Hie bellum lacrimosum, hie miseram famcm
Pestemque a populo et principe Caesare in
Persas atque Britannos
Vestra motus aget prece.
17. Si qua for si aliqua, ' if there be any that ' would be quite
indefinite, but that the indicative subtrahit shows that a particular
country is meant. So Virg. Aen. 7. 225.
ee subtrahit. Our proud insular isolation has perhaps never
been more simply and finely expressed.
19. Haec castra sequar, i.e. 'this is the cause to which I
shall attach myself as a poet,' referring to bella canam 1. 8. He will
follow the conquering course in spirit. There is no idea of his
actually accompanying the expedition as an official poet, counterpart
of the modern War Correspondent, as Paley seems to suggest.
Ovid has an exact parallel, Am. 2. 18. n, 12 : his love is ever
enticing him from singing deeds of war :
Frangor, et ingenium sumptis revocatur ab armis,
Resque domi gestas et mea bella cano.
20. hunc. This use of hunc Postgate well illustrates from
Tib. i. 3. 93, Ov. Pont. i. 4. 57. Propertius uses ille in exactly
the same connection, 3. I. 36
Ilium post cineres atigtiror ipse diem.
21. in magrnis signis, lit. ' in the case of tall statues,' or as
we should say ' of a tall statue.' For this use of in, used to localise
or specify, cp. Hor. Epod. 11.4
Amore, qui me praeter omnes expetit
Mollibus in pueris aut in puellis urere.
22. hie, further defined by ante pede s : 'just here, before my
feet,' as though he were pointing to the very spot. So i. 19. 7,
quoted by Postgate, where illic is explained by caecis locis.
23. inopes conscendere. Another instance of Horace's
favourite Graecism. Conscendere carmen laudis, ' To climb up to
the height of a song of praise ' is an intelligible and graphic ex-
pression, expressing both the difficulty of the task in itself, and the
grandeur of the merit that calls for such an effort. It is scarcely
necessary to assume that laudis means ' thy merit ' in particular ;
or that there is a frigid reference to the stock phrase of climbing
the hill of the Muses.
24. The figure is slightly changed here ; instead of crowning
a statue in honour of a victory, the poet represents himself as
offering a humble offering at the festival of a god. The idea of
vilia tura is exactly illustrated by Horace in his beautiful address
PROPERTIUS, II. 10., 17-25; II. II., 2-5. 237
to the rustic Phidyle, who can afford no costly offering, Od. 3.
23- 17
Immums aram si tetigit mantis,
Non sumpfuosa blandior hostia
Mollivit aversos Penates
Farre pio et saliente mica.
In sacris the idea is no doubt that so carefully worked out by
Horace, Od. 3. i. 1-4. There the poet represents himself as the
priest of the Muses ; at the Muses' feast, and in their name, he gives
forth his holy song ; as at a solemn sacrifice, no words of evil omen
are to be heard ; and he sings to none but to the pure ears of boys
and maidens. Akin to this is the idea in 3. i. 3 ptiro de fonte
sacerdos, where the water is from the Muses' spring, to be used in
purifying the worshippers. See too 4. 6. i-io and note.
25. Ascra was a village in Boeotia, near Mount Helicon, famed
as the birthplace of Hesiod. Close past it flowed the small stream
Permessus, which has its source in the celebrated inspiring spring of
Aganippe. The sense thus is, ' I have not yet climbed up to the
source of the Muses' stream, and quaffed at the fountain-head ; I
have been but dipped by Love in its lower reaches.'
II. II.
This short Elegy is evidently the expression of a moment of
pique ; its bitterness of tone is not to be mistaken for indifference.
1. For the reading ne for vel see Hous., J_ of Phil. xxi. p. 186.
2. sterili semina ponit humo, i. e. ' is engaged in a thankless
task.' Cp. Juv. 7. 49 tenuesque in pulvere sulcos Ducimus, et litus
sterili versamus aratro.
3. munera, ' thy gifts and graces ' whether natural or super-
added. For the latter sense cp. I. 2. 4, where peregrina munera. in
the shape of silks and scents, are contrasted with naturae decus ; for
the former cp. iocosi munera Liberi Hor. Od. 4. 15. 26.
uno lecto is of course the couch of the funeral-bier ; uno
conveys the notion of ' last and fatal : ' that couch which is strewn
once and for all for each of us.
4. extremi, thus used constantly in reference to death : ' that
closes all things.'
5. transibit . . . viator. It must be remembered that the tombs
of the Romans were for the most part placed along the sides of the
great high roads leading out of the city, and not huddled together in
238 NOTES.
modem fashion in cemeteries. Hence the frequent invocations to
travellers to stop their chariots (2. i. 75) or their horses to pay a
tribute of respect to the dead invocations often senselessly repeated
on modern tombstones. No man could approach the Eternal City
but through this City of the Dead : and it must have afforded a
strange sensation to the traveller visiting Rome for the first time to
have to pass for miles and miles, before the city itself was in view,
between two lines of the ancient dead, each tomb telling in simple
words the story of the occupants, and, as a rule, surmounted with
their images.
II. 12.
This charming little poem describes a picture of the God of Love,
and explains the meaning of the symbols under which the god was
represented. The subject was a common one for decorative and
other purposes ; and as it was essential for an ancient artist to adhere
rigidly not only to the general type and character, but also to all
the details and accessories, of the representation of any recognised
mythical personage, we know that we have here an exact description
of a picture perpetually before every Roman's eyes, and to be found
painted on the walls or elsewhere in almost every Roman house.
1. Qnicnnqne ille fait, of a definite, though unknown, per-
son : hence the indicative mood.
puerum, predicatively, 'as a boy.'
2. nxiras mantis, ' wondrous clever hands.' The phrase should
properly apply only to the execution of the picture ; it is here used
of the conception. What he praises is the idea of representing Love
as a boy. The phrase miras manus is exactly analogous to that of
' having good hands,' commonly applied to a rider or driver who
knows how to handle a horse's mouth. Analogous is the phrase ' a
good touch,' applied to manual performance on musical instruments.
3. Is, referring to the same person as illf, line i .
sine sensu, as nearly as possible equivalent to ' without sense.'
The word sensus here has no technical meaning : it does not mean,
as often elsewhere, either ' sensation ' or ' sensibility,' which it would
be absurd to deny to lovers, or 'perception' as Postgate says ('to
lie in insensibility, without perceiving obvious facts ') ; it means just
that amount of intelligence and understanding, whether we call it
reflection or judgment or purpose, which distinguishes the ordinary
man in the conduct of his affairs, and which enable us to call him a
PROPERTIUS, II. 12., 1-6. 239
' man of sense.' The distinction between sensus and mem, appropriate
elsewhere, is here out of place ; more parallel are such phrases as
laiet in animo ac sensu meo Cic. de Leg. 2. i, or ut id maxime
excellat quod longissime sit ab imperitorum intelligentia sensuque
disiunctum de Orat i. 3, and especially the phrase communis
sensus, on which so much has been written : see Lucr. I. 422
Corpus enim per se communis dedicat esse
Sensus.
Cp. Mayor on Juv. 8. 73, where communis sensus is said to be
wanting to the man who is inordinately puffed up by his pedigree,
just as Hor. S. i. 3. 66 says the same of the man who senselessly
interrupts another who wishes to read or to be quiet. Deficient in
'tact' we should say: i.e. in that amount of sense and intelligence
and judgment which we expect to find in our fellow-creatures.
'Without sense' or 'thought' will suit the present passage:
cuppovTiffTos, as Postgate points out, is similarly used of Love by
Theocritus 10. 19.
4. levibus cur is, an ablative of cause, to be taken with
perire, which is equivalent to the unused passive of the verb
perdere.
curis, as frequently in love poems, is equivalent to ' love ' or
'the loved object.' For the former sense cp. Ov. Rem. Am. 311
Haeserat in quadam nuper mea cura puella;
for the latter, Prop. 2. 34. 9
Lynceu, tune meam potuisti, perf.de, curam
Tangere ?
Cp. the Greek ipbv /zeAT^a.
bona, all solid advantages : not wealth only.
ventosas. So Virg. Aen. 12. 848 : 'light and airy.'
6. Fecit, the regular word for artistic representation: as in
Ovid. Met. 6. 109
Fecit olorinis Ledam recubare sub a/is,
or to representation by words, as in Cic. N. D. i. 12. 31 Xenophon
facit Socratem disputantem.
The latter part of the line is difficult. Paley, following Hertz.,
translates ' to flit in the human heart.' ' To flutter within the human
heart ' would well express the uncertainty of lovers. Postgate also
makes corde the ablative of place, and supposes that in the picture
Love was represented as ' flying from heart to heart.' This sense,
however, is scarcely to be got out of the words humano corde :
and so Postgate suggests that Propertius, though he has failed
240 NOTES.
to express himself clearly, meant to convey the idea found in Mos-
chus 2. 17
teal iTTtpSfis o>y opvts ((piirrarat aA\ov TT' d\\w
avtpas ^8 yvvafitas, tirl airXdyxvots 6 KaO-rjrai.
But here two ideas are conveyed : (i) the god flits from one person
to another, (2) he sits upon the ffir\ayx va - But can the words
humano corde volare mean either the one or the other ? and what
is the meaning of love sitting upon the ffir\dyxfa ? It may either
be that he takes his station on the heart, as his natural seat and
abode ; or that he perches there as a bird of prey, to feed on the
vitals of the man, as the eagle on the liver of Prometheus. Post-
gate quotes line 15 in favour of his view ; but the very next lines
seem to show the true meaning of iirl air\dyx i ' 0is icddijTai :
Evolat heu ! nostro quoniam de pectore nusquam,
Assiduusque tneo sanguine bella gerit,
i e. the god never leaves his breast but carries on the war with, or at
the cost of, his (i.e. the poet's) blood. The Abl. is one of Attend.
Circums. In lines 5 and 6 there is nothing about war, blood, or
preying : they simply say that the artist properly represented Love
as furnished with wings, and ' made him humano corde fly as a god.'
Can these words not mean ' possessed of the cor (i. e. the heart, the
feelings, and so almost the personality), of a man, but flying with
wings as a god ? ' Humano corde would thus be an ablative of
quality. Cor is used, and especially corculum, to denote a person ;
and the position of the words suggests an antithesis between humano
and deum. In such a connection it is not unnatural to say that
Love is represented as having a human heart, i. e. as a man, and
at the same time flying as only a god can fly. If humano corde
be an ablative of place, the only way of extracting Postgate's mean-
ing would be to translate ' files from the human heart,' i. e. from one
to another. Baehrens reads humano calce. He probably means
the allusion to be to the talaria, or small wings attached to the heel,
which we see in representations of Cupid and Mercury.
7. The idea of flying in air suggests that of floating on rising
and falling waves, at the caprice of every wind.
8. nostra, like suns, applied to a wind, naturally suggests the
idea of ' favourable.' But in itself, as here, ' our wind ' simply
means ' the wind which bears us,' any further meaning depending
on the context.
non ullis locis, exactly parallel to nusquam line 15.
10. pharetra Onosia, i. e. Cretan, from Gnosus or Gnosos
(Kfo-<5s), now Cnosson, the abode of Minos and the ancient capital
PROPERTIUS, II. 12., 7-15. 241
of Crete. The Roman poets loved to particularise a general term
by some local or specific epithet, not merely to give a flavour of
learning (whence 'doctus' is the characteristic epithet of a poet),
but also because they understood that representative art attains its
object best when it calls up concrete individual images. The object
of poetry is to rouse feeling ; and feeling gathers round the particular,
not the general. On this principle Horace's sailor is Poenus Od. 2.
I3- '5 wine is Falemian, Massic, Chian, Le.--bian, etc. ; merchan-
dise is Syrian (i. 31. 12) or Thynian (3. 7. 3), Cyprian or Tyrian
(3. 29. 60) ; a sea is the Myrtoan (i. I. 14) or the Tyrrhenian (i. II.
5) or the Cretan (i. 26. 2) or the Caspian (2. 9. 2), etc. Such in-
stances could be multiplied indefinitely from Horace and Virgil alone.
ntroqne. Thus the quiver hung from both shoulders. Paley
supposes that two positions of the quiver are referred to : one at the
back, when it was not in use, and hung from both shoulders ; the
other when drawn to one side for the purpose of taking out an
arrow. Utroque shows that here the former position is indicated :
thus quoniam, line u, means 'Love holds the barbed arrow
ready in his hand because (quoniam*) he aims instantaneously
and does not wait to draw the arrow from the quiver.' In other
words, ' Love shoots so rapidly that he keeps his quiver where it is
not ready for use ! ' The reference of quoniam to manus armata
is far-fetched : the word merely explains why he is portrayed as an
equipped archer.
11. tuti, i. e. in our supposed safety. The word is used ironi-
cally ; for tutttf implies- emphatically protection from actual danger.
Securus, ' without care,' implies only an unconsciousness of trie exist-
ence of danger, and incolumis, ' unharmed,' that as yet no injury has
been sustained.
12. ex, 'out of,' 'immediately after,' and so 'in consequence
of,' as here.
13. In me, cp. sup. 10. 6. But the words, may mean simply,
' his darts remain fast in me.'
puerilis imago corresponds to hutnano corde \. 6. ' He
remains fast, in. his boyish image ; but his wings (cp. volare) are
gone.'
15. hen, as not unfrequently, is represented only by / in N.
nnsqnam, ' does not fly out anywhither," i. e. at all. As Post-
gate remarks, Latin has no one word for ' no whither.' Non aliqtio
or non alio would be the nearest equivalents : cp. alto 1. 1 8.
Hertz, well illustrates 11. 14-15 from the Anthology. A lover
complains that Love has emptied on him all his quiver :
R
242 NOTES.
fj.f) ifTfpvycuv rpofjiiot TIJ firri\vatv |OT yap JJLOI
Ad imQas artpvots iriKpbv (irrj^e iro5a,
aoTffuprjS, aSovTjTos ivt^trai, ou5 fj.freart,
(Is (^ avvyii)i> Kfipa/j.evos irTfpvyow.
Here Love tramples on the lover's breast, and, having lost his wings,
cannot fly away.
16. See note on 1. 6.
17. siccis medullis. Love has drained him of his life-
blood, either by the wounds of his arrows, or actually by drinking
it. Thus Theocr. Id. 2. 55 represents Love as fastening like a leech
on to the lover's flesh and drinking his blood dry.
18. ' Carry thy darts elsewhither.' Hous. defends tela, puer (V 2 ).
19. veneno, a new metaphor : but perhaps the idea maybe that
of a poisoned arrow, to which the word vapulat, 1. 20, is more
appropriate.
20. tennis umbra mea, probably in allusion to the poet's
slender make, inf. 2. 22. 21
Sed tibi si exiles videor tenuatus in artus ;
and I. 5. 21
Nee iam pallorem fattens mirabere nostrum,
Atit cur sim toto corpore nullus ego.
21. talia, ' such verses as mine.'
23, 24. The authority of N. for qui in 1. 23, and canat in
1. 24, is conclusive. L. 22 must be taken parenthetically. Quae
canit may make, as Finder says, a smoother ending, but qui canat
is more forcible ; it implies not merely that he sings his mistress's
charms, but that it would be an unbearable loss to Love that they
should remain unsung.
H. 13-
THE following elegy has an exordium of sixteen lines prefixed to
it in the MSS., which Lachmann and other editors believe, without
sufficient reason, to have formed a separate poem. Those lines
repeat the oft-told, well-worn theme that love for Cynthia is the
inspirer of the poet's muse ; and though lighter in tone than the
succeeding verses, which deal with the poet's death and funeral, the
contrast is scarcely stronger than is to be found in other passages.
His love for Cynthia is the one portal through which Propertius
approaches every subject ; and we have seen elsewhere (especially
2. i. 71-78) in how morbid (or shall we say puerile?) a fashion he
drags in the idea of his death whenever his love has met a check.
Our own Laureate has coupled ' Love and Death : ' Propertius con-
PROPERTIUS, II. 12., 16-24; II. 13., 17-20. 243
stantly couples the two ideas, but in a spirit very different from that
which prompted the words,
/ know not which is sweeter, no not I.
17. iffitur ; cp. igitur in the exactly parallel passage, 2. i. 71
Quandocumque igitur vitam mea fata reposcent.
In both passages a contemplation of his death is made to follow, as
by a natural consequence, upon an emphatic protestation of his love.
18. acta, ' the arrangements ' or 'dispositions ' for his funeral.
They are called acta, because made, decided upon, during his life.
Postgate well compares the phrase acta Caesaris, which occurs so
often in Cic. Phil. 2, of the various dispositions for the future con-
duct of affairs made (or at least pretended by Antony to have been
made) by Caesar before his death.
19. He desires no long array of ancestral images to follow him
to the grave for the very good reason that he had no claim to such
a distinction. All nobiles, i. e. descendants of men who had held
curule office, were allowed to have waxen images or busts of their
distinguished ancestors ranged round the atrium of the house.
This right was called ius imaginum. The relationship between
the originals of the busts was indicated by garlands or strings,
stemmata, the prototype of the modern pedigree or genealogical
table. Hence the well-known Stemmata quid faciunt ? of Juv.
8. i. At a funeral, these busts, which seem to have been hollow,
were put on by persons who represented the dead worthies, and who,
wearing the dress and insignia which the dead would have worn,
walked before the bier in long procession to the place of burning or
interment, so that the deceased seemed actually to be escorted to
the grave by the whole series of his ancestors. In the case 'of the
older families, these processions must have been extraordinarily im-
posing. In recording the death of Tiberius' son Drusus, Tacitus
himself was moved at the thought of what must have been one of
the most grotesque and yet impressive sights ever witnessed. There
passed forth, says the historian, ' in long array all the fathers of the
Julian house Aeneas, all the Alban kings, then the Sabine nobility
with Attus Clausus, and all the rest of the Claudii,' Ann. 4. 9. See
Juv. 8. 2 sqq. ; Ov. Fast. i. 591 ; Hor. Epod. 8. 12.
imagine, in the singular, as though it were a collective noun.
20. tnba. At the head of the funeral procession marched
musicians, flute-players, hornblowers, and trumpeters ; hence tuba
sometimes stands for death, as in Pers. 3. 103
Hinc tuba, eandelae.
fati is an objective genitive after quercla.
R 2
244 tfOTES.
21. fulcro eburno, ablative of quality or description ; the
lectus is the funeral bier, often richly ornamented, on which the
body was carried to burial.
Attalico. either ' sumptuous,' from the wealth of the kings of
Pergamus, as in Hor. Od. i. I Attalids condicionibus ; or, as Post-
gate suggests, ' embroidered with gold,' an art which Plin. N. H.
8. 48 attributes to the last Attains. Cp. Attalicas vcstes 3. 18. 19.
In 2. 32. 12 the handsome hangings in the Porticus Pompeia are
called aulaea Attalica.
22. mors mea, i. e. ' my body when dead, 1 ' my dead body.'
Exactly similar are the expressions nostrae vitae, i. 2. 31, 'to me so
long as I live ;' mea poena 2. 20. 31, ' my shade while undergoing
punishment;' meutn funus i. 17. 8, 'my dead body.' Cp. Virg.
Aen. 9. 491
Et funus lacerum tellus habet?
23. lancibns. Descriptive Abl. ' Let there be no train of
incense-bearing chargers.' Cf. Virg. Aen. 3. 618 domus sanie dapibus-
que cruentis. Post, compares II. 32. \^creber platanis surgentilnts
ordo. Perfumes were thrown on the body when first laid out, Pers.
3. 103 ; they were carried in chargers along with the procession, as
here ; they were thrown on to the body when placed on the rogus ;
they were finally mingled with the ashes before they were deposited
in the urn. The senses of smell and hearing must thus have been fully
occupied at a Roman funeral. When Juvenal wishes to describe an
over-scented fop he makes him reek quantum vix redolent duo funera
Sat. 4. 109 ; and when Horace describes an overpowering din, he says
Cornua quod vincatque tubas,
i.e. those of a funeral, Sat. i. 6. 44. A funeral conducted without
pomp was called taciturn funus, ' a quiet funeral : ' a phrase which
strikes strangely on our ears. Cp. Ov. Tr. i. 3. 22.
25. This line has not unnaturally been interpreted to prove
that Propertius when he wrote this Elegy must have published at
least two complete books, and have been engaged upon a third. But
we have already seen that the arguments for supposing that the first
ten Elegies of Book II. formed a completed book are of little
weight ; and the whole treatment of the subject of death in this
elegy is so imaginative and unreal not real enough to be called
morbid that it is unnecessary to suppose a reference here to any
actual number of completed or even contemplated books. Three
books form a modest complete number ; less than three would be
meagre, either for a poet or a procession ; three was the number
of books which Horace first published as a completed edition of his
PROPERTIUS, II. 13., 21-33. 245
Odes. And whatever inference could be drawn from this passage is
more than overborne by 2. 24. i, 2
Tu loqueris cum sis iam noto fabula libra.
26. feram, probably the subjunctive, ' for me to present.'
27. pectus lacerata, with middle sense. The futures scqueris,
pones, imply a softened, courteous imperative, a hope or recom-
mendation, rather than a command, as in Hor. A. P. 385
Tu nihil invita dices faciesque Minerva.
Hence the usage is mainly confined to epistles and similar friendly
communications.
28. ftteris, probably the future perfect, as nee precedes. Yet
Prop, uses nee for neu, as in 2. 28. 47.
lassa vocare. Postgate seems somewhat to over-refine here
when he says that the infinitive denotes ' the cause of the weariness,
not the result arrested by it.' Like other infinitives dependent on
an adjective, it is used vaguely to denote the sphere within which the
adjective applies : lassa vocare is ' wearied in calling,' just as doctae
psallere Chiae (Hor.) is ' learned in playing,' and celerem sequi
Aiacem (id.) is 'swift in following.'
30. Syrio. The Roman poets call all wares which came
from the far East Syrian, because they were shipped at a Syrian port
chiefly Antioch.
onyx, in reference to the costly perfumes poured on to the pyre,
or mingled with the ashes in the urn. Onyx or Onychites or Lapis
Alabastrites was a kind of gypsum or spar, so called from its
colour resembling the white of the human nail. This material was
much used to make vessels for holding perfumes, as it was supposed
to possess the property of preserving their fragrance. Such flasks
were usually made with a narrow neck such as we see in museums
from which the liquor was allowed to escape drop by drop.
Hence the extravagance of the woman in St. Mark 14. 3, who,
' having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious,'
instead of letting it out by drops, ' brake the box and poured it on
his head.'
31. ardor, for ' flame.'
32. manes, here equivalent to cineres, from the idea of the
spirit hovering about them. Cp. Virg. Aen. 4. 34 and 427.
'testa, an urn of common pottery.
33. laurus, the bay or laurel of Apollo ; hence used to denote
poetic fame.
busto. See note on i. 19. 21, where the origin of our word
'bust' is explained. The effigies of the dead and their families
246 NOTES.
which were commonly placed on the lid of a Roman sarcophagus,
may sometimes have been likenesses of the deceased ; but it is
evident from modem excavations that they were kept ready-made
by the stone-cutters, and executed after conventional patterns. It
seems a novel and interesting idea that a man might ' choose ' his
father or mother though not till after their decease.
34. funeris, his remains, now reduced to ashes ; cp. sup. on 1. 22.
umbra, of the shade of the laurel bough, in predicative appo-
sition to quae: translate, 'to cover with its shade the spot where
lie my lifeless remains.'
35. horrida, of the revolting, loathsome ashes, so out of
keeping with the idea of joyous love.
37. notescet fama. The expression is redundant ; it was
not the fama of his sepulchre, but the sepulchre itself, which would
become known. Postgate has some interesting observations (Introd.
p. Ixvii) on Propertius' tendency to what he terms ' disjunctiveness,'
or ' polarisation ' of an idea, by which he charges his meaning doubly,
serving up one idea in two forms, and treating each form as a new
idea. A good example is 3. i. 17
Sed, quod pace legas, opus hoc de monte sororum
Detulit intacta pagina nostra via.
Here the opus and the pagina are one and the same thing ; yet the
latter is said to bring down the former from the mount of the Muses.
38. Phthil viri, i.e. Achilles.
cruenta, because Polyxena, daughter of Priam, was sacrificed
by Neoptolemus, his son, upon his tomb.
39. si qnando, denoting an indefinite, though certain, time :
' when the day comes, whenever that may be.'
venies ad fata, a euphemism for death : later Latin was fond
of such softened modes of expressing death. See especially in
Tacitus, where such phrases as decessit, excessit, exiit, etc., are con-
stant. Cp. our own phrase ' he is gone,' or ' he's away.'
40. lapides, his monument.
cana, he trusts she may not die till of ripe age.
For memores cp. Hor. Od. 3. n. 51
nostri memorem sepulcro
Scalpe querelam,
and 4. 14. 4
Per titulos memoresque fastos.
It is far-fetched to suppose that memores anticipates the idea of the
next couplet, that his ashes will have some consciousness of her :
especially as interea, 1. 41, marks a new transition.
PROPERTIUS, II. 13., 34-55- 247
42. ad verum sapit, ' has some sense towards, in the direc-
tion of, truth.'
conscia, is simply 'conscious,' 'sentient:' here the spirit is not
only conscious, but ad verum sapit, i. e. can form true ideas.
43. primis cunis, ' the cradle that ushers in life ;' exactly
like extremus in 3. 2. 22
Mortis ab extrema condicione vacant.
ponere, 'to lay down,' 'give up.'
45. quo, ' for what purpose?' constructed both with the nom.
and ace.
47. The MSS. have Quis tarn longaevae, which is clearly
corrupt. Hertz, has Cut si longaevae : the correction Cui si tarn lon-
gae seems best. Cui si written in one word would become quis, and
then longae would be lengthened into longaevae for the metre.
48. The first word is quite uncertain : the two first letters were
probably lost in the archetype, as Palmer suggests. Gallicus is a
very unnatural word to use of a Phrygian in reference to the Homeric
period : Ilius (Lachmann) would give a harsh jingle : and bellicus
(Palmer) is tame. Postgate justly thinks that a proper name is
required ; and would defend Gallicus as referring to Hector, the
rdAAos being a river in Phrygia (Herodian i. n. 2), with which
Hector may have been connected in some legend. If Memnon
be referred to, who killed Antilochus while defending his father, he
thinks the passage corrupt.
49. See Juv.'s imitation, S. 10. 246-255. Hous. approves
Muller's aut for ille : see J. of Phil. xxi. p. 114.
51. flebis, a gentle request, as above, 11. 27, 29.
53. qui, the MS. reading, has been needlessly altered to cut.
Palmer well quotes Ov. Her. 20. 103 : the word testis does not imply
that 'a boar was a witness to a moral truth' (Paley), any more than
Hor. Od. 3. 4. 69
Testis mearum centimanus Gyas
Sententiarum
implies that the giant Gyas gave evidence in support of Horace's
opinions. Testis simply means ' affords proof or evidence of."
55. Illis, with reference to Idalio vertice.
By an awkward construction, diceris must be supplied to go
with lavisse from diceris isse 1. 56.
iicuisse : so NO. Palmer adopts lavisse, the reading of Per.
which was adopted by Scaliger. He informs me that H. A. J. Munro
approved of it. To make Adonis lie in marshes seems absurd, and
248 NOTES.
iacuisse is just the correction which a scribe might make who sup-
posed palitdibus to refer to the boar.
57. revocabis, partly in the sense of recalling,' as in 2. 27. 15,
partly in that of ' calling on him in the hope of a reply,' as 1. 58
suggests.
58. qui. Palmer appears to be the first who has supported
here the reading of N., which has been changed without reason to
quid by the editors. Qui gives a much richer, more pathetic meaning.
II. 28.
THIS again is one of the most touching and natural of the Cynthia
poems. It is written in genuine anxiety, on the occasion of some
serious illness of Cynthia's. With earnest prayers for her recovery
the poet mingles admonitions, half serious, half playful, that the ill-
ness has been brought on as a punishment for some fault of her own,
either for neglect of some god, or for lover's vows forsworn. In the
contemplation of the possibility of her death, while paying a very
touching tribute to her charms, the poet exhibits that matter-of-fact
coolness which is a constant characteristic of the ancients in treating
of death and its surroundings, and which conveys a feeling of insen-
sibility, almost of hardness, to the modem reader. If the ancients
had less of the hope, they had also less of the sense of awe and
mystery, which we feel in the contemplation of death.
The poem is divided into three parts : and some editors, amongst
them Palmer, consider that they form three distinct poems. In the
first part, 11. 1-34, the poet expresses his fears as to her illness, sug-
gests its cause, and both warns and comforts her by mythological ex-
amples. In the second part, 11. 35-46, he fears the worst, and makes
an impassioned appeal for her recovery. In the third, 11. 47-62, he
thanks Persephone for having spared for a while longer her intended
victim, and bids her pay the vows due for her recovery. Baehrens,
as will be seen from the critical notes, unnecessarily turns the poem
upside down. The same illness is alluded to in 2. 9. 25
Haec mihi vota tuani propter suscepta salutem,
but there is little to suggest the dates at which the two poems were
written. See, however, Hertz., Quaest. p. 224.
1. affectae, i. e. morbo.
2. tuum crimen. i.e. ' the death of so lovely a maiden will be
laid as a charge at thy door,' tuum being here used objectively. So
Ov. Am. 2. 11. 35, to the Nereids,
Vestrum crimen erit talis iactura puellae.
PROPERTIUS, II. 13., 57, 58; II. 28., 1-12. 249
3. The illness occurred at the most unhealthy period of the
year ; the time when attention to business, according to Hor. Ep.
j. 7. 9
Adducit febres et testamenta resignat.
4. fervfere. Archaic torfervere: so Virg. Aen. 8. 677.
8. ventus et tinda rapit, an image for forgotten words or
vows, frequent in the ancient poets. So Cat. 70. 3
Dicit : sed tmilier cttpido quod dicit amanli
In vento et rapida scribere opertet aqua.
See Ov. Am. I. 8. 106 ; 2. 16. 45.
9. ilia, read by NO, is probably right: cf. Juppiter *'//<? =
'yonder,' 'in the heavens." See Hous., J. of Phil. xxi. p. 131.
peraeqtte. So N., followed by Palm, and Post. Most editors
adopt the reading of Gron. paremque, which must be translated
' compared, ay and placed on a level with, herself.' Palmer follows
N. in reading ilia peraeque, and places the mark of interrogation
after Vemis ; and he justifies peracque invidiosa by Cic. Att. 2. 19
lain peraeqiie omnibus ordinibus offensa. But the addition of
omnibus makes an important difference, ' to all orders equally.'
Cicero would not have written peracque ordinibus offensa. If the
reading of the text be correct, formosis must be taken as equivalent
to formosis omnibus.
10. Prae se, \t\\\\. formosis : ' those whose beauty outshines her
own.'
11. Pelasgfae. emphatic epithet = ' Greek,' or rather ' Argive,' as
Juno is essentially the friend of the Greek or Argive cause, the enemy
of the Trojan. So in Virg. Aen. 547 Aeneas propitiates her anger :
lunoni Argivae lussos adolemus honores.
12. bonos, ' beautiful.' So Ov. Met. 8. 678 super omnia vultus
Accessere boni, just as we speak of ' good looks,' 'good-looking,' 'a
good head,' etc. To the Greeks and Italians, accustomed to dark
eyes, it was apparently a moot point whether the gray or blue eye of
7A.au/cSjrts 'A01JVJ7 could be considered a beauty; and indeed the
epithet ykavicwnis refers rather to the fierceness than to the colour of
her eye. The ancients associated fierceness with light eyes as we do
with dark : thus Tac. Germ. 4 describes the fair-haired Germans as
having truces et caerulei oculi, rutilae comae.
11, 12. tibi . . . ausa. The construction abruptly changes :
tibi in 1. II leads up to tu to be supplied before ausa. So in I. 6.
21, 22 tibi has to be supplied from lua:
Nam tua non aelas ttmquam cessavit amori,
Semper et armatae cura fuit patriae.
2jO NOTES.
13. semper . . . non nostis, ' Ye have never known.' Cp. i.
16.7
Et mihi non desunt turpes pendcre corollae
Semper.
14. lingua uocens, ' an ill tongue.' The poet means that she
was punished by the Gods for talking proudly.
16. mollior hora, 'a happier time.' So in i. 7. 4 mollia
means ' favourable : '
Sint modo fata tuis mollia carminibus.
Cp. Ov. Trist. 4. 8. 32.
17. Io, daughter of Inachus, king of Argos (whence she is called
Inachis I. 3. 20), loved by Zeus and turned into a cow by the jealousy
of Here, after many wanderings found peace on the banks of the
Nile, where she became associated or identified with the goddess
Isis. Ovid describes her metamorphosis from a cow into a goddess,
Met. i. 728-750, till at last 1. 743
De bove nil superest, formae nisi candor, in ilia ;
and 1. 747
Nunc dea linigera colitur celeberrima turba.
19. Ino, daughter of Cadmus, was married as a second wife
to Athamas, and became mother of Learchus and Melicertes. The
jealousy of the first wife Nephele wrought ruin in the house: Athamas,
in madness, slew Learchus. Ino flung herself with Melicertes into
the sea. She was then admitted amongst the sea-gods under the
name Leucothea, and subsequently, by some strange confusion, was
identified with the Latin goddess Matuta. See Ov. Fast. 6. 545 ; Cic.
Tusc. i. 12. 28.
21. Andromede, daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, saved
from the sea-monster by Perseus, became his wife : she was after-
wards placed among the stars. See Ov. Met. 4. 662 foil.
23. Callisto, an Arcadian huntress and follower of Artemis, was
loved by Zeus and metamorphosed into a she-bear. Slain in the
chase by Artemis, she was transformed by Zeus into the famous
constellation of Arctos or Septemtrio, which we still know by the
name of the Great Bear.
26. This line is very harsh, and has been variously emended.
See critical notes. As it stands in the text, fata in 1. 25 must be
the fates, fata 1. 25 Cynthia's lot or portion after death. Ilia must
refer to the description of her future condition given in 11. 27-30,
and is used instead of haec in order to Express the distance and
grandeur of the scene. ' In these grand respects will the lot of thy
burial be happy.'
PROPERTIUS, II. 28., 13-35. 251
27. Semele, daughter of Cadmus, being loved of Zeus, re-
quested that he would visit her in all his splendour : he appeared as
the god of thunder, and she was consumed.
There is no need to change sit into sis, for which, as Hertz,
points out, fucris would be required, formosa stands for the class
of the beautiful : ' at what peril a fair maiden lives,' ' what are the
perils of the fair/
periclo is an ablative of attendant circumstance, analogous or
equivalent to the ablative of price.
29. Maeonias, 'Lydian:' either for ' Eastern ' in general, or
specially ' Homeric,' as not unfrequently in Ovid. Thus we have
Maeonium carmen E. P. 3. 3. 31, Maeoniae chartae id. 4. 12. 27, etc.
The young student will observe that omnis here is the accusa-
tive plural, which was frequently written with is for es in the case of
/ nouns. So in 1. 56.
32. darns dies, i. e. 'the day of death,' called niger ille dies
2. 2 4 . 34 .
33. Schultze supposes this line to be addressed to Jupiter, the
deus of 1. 32. ' Spare Cynthia, Jupiter : Juno herself will permit this,
without feeling a wife's jealousy.' But this is far-fetched, and the
address to Jupiter is out of place. Cynthia is addressed through-
out ; ' even fate may relent : even Juno with all her jealousy as a
wife will forgive thee in this,' lit. ' will pardon this to thee,' i. e. will
permit her to live, instead of unrelentingly pursuing her, as in the
cases given above. The poet throughout assumes that it is the fatal
gift of beauty that is the cause of Cynthia's illness.
coniunx may carry with it the additional idea that Juno is the
goddess of marriage and married women, and that her compassion
might specially be appealed to on a wife's behalf.
34. frang-itur, i. e. animo : ' is touched,' ' grieved.' Cp. our
' heart-broken.'
35. At this point a new poem commences in N., whilst Jacob and
Lachmann make a third separate poem of 11. 47-62. But in reality
these points only mark subdivisions in the sense of an essentially
connected whole. See the argument as given in the English head-
ings. The first part, 11. 1-34, is addressed to Cynthia : he declares
the cause of her malady, comforts her by mythological examples,
and bids her, even yet, have hope. In the second part, 11. 35-46,
his panic becomes acute : he has all but lost hope, magic rites
have failed, he makes one last despairing appeal for her recovery.
The concluding portion is a paean of joy over her safety : she has
been spared by Persephone, who indeed, he thinks, might well spare
252 NOTES.
her for a while longer, and she is bidden to pay the vows offered
during her illness.
The rhombus or turbo, a four-sided wheel or reel, was a favourite
implement of ancient sorceresses, and was used mainly in love incan-
tations. To this the licia, or threads, were attached, and as the reel
revolved the witch was supposed to control the fate of her victim.
See Ov. Fast. 2. 573 (Ramsay's n.). In Cynthia's case it had been used
as a healing spell, or to forecast the result of her illness. Cp. 3. 6. 25
Non me moribus ilia, sed hcrbis improba vicit :
Staminea rhombi ducitur ille rota.
For a new explanation see Diet. Ant. (new ed.).
36. Omens were taken from the burning of laurel leaves in the
fire : it was a favourable sign if they burnt brightly and crackled
on the hearth. See Tibull. 2. 5. 79, and note, and Ov. Fast. 4. 742.
So too with sacrifices, it was an unfavourable sign if the flesh was
not well consumed, Soph. Antig. 1006
(K oi Ovuarajv
"H</>CUOTOS OVK e\afur(v, dAX' ITTI airooai
fivSivaa. Krjtds fj.rjpioji' fTrjKtro
KOLTVfyt KaVtltTVf.
37. For the power of witches to call down the moon from the
sky see i. I. 19
At vos dednctae quibus est fallacia Lunae,
and Virg. E. 8. 69, Hor. Epod. 5. 45, Ov. Met. 1 2. 263.
38. nigra avis, apparently the owl, whose cry was ill omened
(nigra) : Arethusa deems it so 4. 3. 59, and Virgil, Aen. 4. 462, speaks
of ferali carmine bubo. Paley suggests that ' the black bird ' is the
raven, but quotes no parallel.
39. ratis fatd, a very modern expression, ' the bark of fate ; '
the genitive being used loosely to indicate any kind of connection.
So lumina fastns i. I. 3, mortis lacrimae 4. 7. 69, tela fugae 3.
9-54-
40. velificata, 'making sail.' Used passively by Juv. 10.
1 74 velificatus Athos, ' sailed through.'
41. miserere. We may assume from 1. 44 that Jupiter is the
deity here addressed : it is implied in the earlier part of the poem
that Jupiter is the natural friend, as the jealous Juno is the natural
enemy, of fair maidens.
43. ' I mulct myself in a poem,' i. e. undertake to write one.
Professor Palmer reads crimine ; and there certainly is a difficulty
in carmine. Many passages might be quoted where an offering is
mentioned in such cases as this, and the carmen is the dedicatory
PROPERTIUS, II. 28., 36-52. 253
verse or verses ; but where is the offering here ? After puclla in
1. 44, dedicavit hoc munus is clearly understood : where and what is
the munus? Arethusa, in 4. 3. 71, dedicates her husband's arms
and writes the carmen under them :
Armaque cum tulero portae votiva Capenae,
Subscribam 'salvo grata puella viro. 1
It is probable, therefore, that some sacred gift is referred to in 1. 43,
for which Propertius was to write an inscription. The words per
magnum salva puella lovem seem too insignificant for an offering by
themselves. ' Operosum sane carmen ! ' is Palmer's note : but it is not
clear what he means when he adds ' sacro crimine damnatus idem
significat atque illud " voti reus." ' What is the force of crimine ?
A gift or vow of some sort is no doubt implied, for which Proper-
tius was to write an inscription : the gift might be trivial, but to
Propertius the important thing was that he was to write the verses,
and so he mentions them only, saying nothing about the offering.
For damno with an ablative in the sense of ' mulct ' cp. Plaut.
Pers. 69 Sed legirupam qui damnet det in publicum Dimidium,
where qui is the ablative.
45. operate, the correction of Heinsius. If adoperta wfre
read, the reference would be to the fact that in prayer or thanksgiving
to a god the head was veiled, while the right hand was raised to
the lips hence adoro, ' to worship.'
46. In the critical note N should be added to O as joining 11.
47-62 to the preceding part of this poem.
49, 5O. I. e. ' You have so many fair ones with you in the shades,
you may surely spare this one.'
51. lope is the reading of the best MSS. Others read To, lole,
Antiope. lope, usually known by the longer form of the name as
Cassiopeia, was daughter of Aeolus, wife of Cepheus, and mother of
Andromeda. According to one version of the legend, Cassiopeia
roused the anger of the Nereids by boasting of her own beauty as
surpassing theirs.
Tyro, loved by the river god Enipeus, to whom she bore Pelias
and Neleus.
52. Europe, the famous daughter of Phoenix (or Agenor\ from
whom the continent derives its name. She was carried off by Zeus in
the form of a bull from Phoenicia to Crete, where she gave birth to
Minos : see Hor. Od. 3. 37.
nee proba Pasiphae, ' the infamous Pasiphae,' wife of Minos.
For the remarkable expression nee proba standing for et improba cp.
nee umquam varans Charybdis 2. 26. 53, ^=numquam varans.
254 NOTES.
53. There is, perhaps, no sufficient objection to the MS. reading
in this line, though the repetition of Priami regna in the next line,
and the coupling of Phoebi and Priami, are suspicions. Hertzberg,
founding on the Hioa or Hiona of Scaliger's MS., reads Eoa, sup-
posing that it may be used as a feminine substantive for ' the region
of the East.' But see critical notes.
55. in numero, as we say ' was accounted of: ' placed in the
number of those worthy of being mentioned. Cp. Cic. de Orat. 3.
56 sine hac (actione) summits orator esse in millo numero potest.
But numerus may be used for the mere multitude, those not worthy
of being taken into consideration : as Hor. Epp. i. 2. 27
Nos numerus sumus et fruges consumere nati.
The Greek dpiOpos is similarly used in both senses: cp. Plut. 2.
682 F ovStls dptOfiov fart TWOS { = nullo est in numero), with Eur.
Her. 997
t'8ois n\v OVK apiOfiov, d\\' eTijTvpais
av8p > ovra TOV aw iraiSa.
58. Cp. Hor. Od. 2. 3. 25, Ov. Met. 10. 33.
59. The MSS. have demissa .- the confusion between de and di
is continual.
II. 31.
THIS poem gives an account of the famous temple of Apollo on
the Palatine, built by Augustus to celebrate his Sicilian victory over
Sextus Pompeius, and to fulfil a vow made in the Actian campaign.
It was begun B.C. 36, and dedicated on the 24th of October, B.C. 28.
Propertius had made an appointment to visit Cynthia : he arrived
late, and he offers as his excuse that he has been present at the
dedication of the temple. In honour of the same event Horace
wrote Od. I. 31. The temple, with the colonnades round it, was
attached to Caesar's palace. Its distinguishing feature was that it
contained the famous Palatine library, adorned with the busts of
poets, so frequently mentioned by the Roman poets. The first
librarian was C. Julius Hyginns. Cp. Hor. Epp. i. 3. 17
Scrip/a Palatinus quaecunque recepit Apollo,
and 2. i. 216 munus Apolline dignum : see Suet. Aug. 29.
1. veniam. The poet presents the poem as his excuse on
arrival.
i, probably a general epithet denoting splendour. No
PROPERTIUS,Il. 28., 53-59; II. 3I-, 1-6. 255
doubt there was much gilding about the woodwork of the temple.
Cp. the famous so-called ' Golden House ' of Nero.
2. aperta, here used in its proper but rare sense as a participle.
The portico or colonnade ran all round the building, like an out-'
side cloister. The library was placed in one part of this cloister ;
in another part meetings of the Senate, etc., were held.
3. in speciem, ' dazzlingly,' ' so as to make a show.'
Foenis, here for ' African,' referring to the well-known marble
giallo antico, so called from its yellow colour, with occasional red
veins running through it. Roman shops are full of little saucers,
etc., made out of the fragments of this marble.
digesta refers to the regular intervals at which the columns
were placed. Digerere is the word used for planting trees in rows,
as in Virg. Geo. 2. 267. So of asparagus beds, Cato, R. R. 161. 3,
and of evenly arranged curls, Mart. 3. 63. 3.
4. femina for feminea, like Romula for Romulea, flumen
Rhenum, etc. See note on 3. 2. u, 3. 3. 7.
5. equidem, with the third person, undoubtedly presents a
difficulty, and Palmer's conjecture Phoebus PJwebo deserves attention.
Ussing however, on Plaut. Amph. 757, quotes various passages to
controvert Bentley's dictum that equidem is never used with the
second or third person or with the plural number before the time of
Nero. Persius and Lucan certainly so use it ; Pers. i. no
Per me equidem sint omnia protinus alba,
and in the present passage, though the verb is in the third person,
there is a reference to the first person in visus mihi, which might
justify the use of equidem.
5, 6. Between the columns on one side were placed statues of
the fifty daughters of Danaus ; opposite to them on the other side
were the sons of Aegyptus, their unhappy bridegrooms. See Ov.
Trist 3. i. 61
Signa peregrinis ubi slant alterna columnis
Belides, et stricto barbarus ense pater.
Hertz., Postgate, Bae., etc., place 11. 5-8 at the end of the
piece, to make the description follow the order from the outside to
the interior. But in an extempore piece like this it is vain to look
for an exact order, and there is a special awkwardness in placing
tacita lyra 1. 6 in immediate juxtaposition to carmina sonat
1. 1 6. The order rather is that the poet first mentions the colon-
nades, then the statues, then the temple itself. In the last couplet
he reverts, as the crowning and central point of interest, to the
statue of the god himself, arrayed as a citharoedus, placed between
256 NOTES.
those of Latona and Diana. LI. 7, 8 give a very feeble ending to
the poem. But, besides this, it is possible that two distinct statues
of the god may be referred to. Pliny speaks of a colossal statue
* of the Tuscan Apollo, in bronze, placed inside the library, and there
may have been one in marble in the exterior colonnade. If so,
tacita lyra, and in longa carmina veste sonat, may be characteristic
descriptions of the two statues : in the one the lyre was only held in
the hand, in the other the god was represented as playing upon it.
Hie equidem defines the position of the statue first named, as being
in the outer colonnade, near the Danaids.
7. steterant. For the tense cp. i. 12. n
Non sum ego qui fueram ; mutat via longa pnellas ;
and 3. II. 67
Haec di eondiderant, haec di quoque mocnia servant.
Myron, the famous Boeotian statuary, born about B.C. 480.
He especially excelled in depicting animals.
9. Turn, i. e. in his progress through the building.
claro. The marble used was the white marble of Luna
{Carrara) still used by statuaries.
The tenses surgebat, erat, 1. 11, and steterant, 1. 7, all represent
the temple as its contents presented themselves to Propertius at the
dedication.
11. The MSS. have In quo, but N. omits the In. In quo does
not stand very well for ' upon which ' after templum ; Hertzberg
followed by Postgate) reads Et duo, explaining that there were
two chariots, one on each side of thefastigium.
12. The folding doors were of ivory ; on one panel was
carved a group of Gauls being hurled down from the rock at Delphi
by the god, on the other the slaying of Niobe's children. This refers
to the attack of the Gauls on Delphi in the irruption of B. c. 279.
14. fnnera, ' the tragic calamity; ' or possibly ' the dead children.'
Tantalidos. Niobe was daughter of Tantalus.
15. The repetition of inter, as Postgate points out, gives im-
portance to the two goddesses as making us think separately of
each. See note on 3. 18. 21 and Hor. Sat. I. 7. IT, 12.
16. in longa veste, i. e. the long-trailing robe (palla) of the
citharoedus. Cp. Virg. Aen. 6. 645. A copy of the Apollo citha-
rocdiis is in the Vatican at Rome.
PROPERTIUS, II. 31., 7-16; III., 1. 257
III. i.
IN this Elegy Propertius asserts his claims as a poet, acknow-
ledges his masters and his models, proclaims his originality, and
declares that after death his fame will rise triumphant out of all
the attacks of his detractors. It is interesting to compare it with
Hor. Od. 4. 3, which is one of Horace's most artistic Odes, and is
devoted to the same subject. Many of the same ideas run through
both pieces, though the manner of working them in, and the
tone and temper of the two poems, are very different. There is in
the Horatian poem a sense of power, a calm dignity and self-
restraint, a simplicity and faithfulness to fact, an absence of self even
when speaking of self, a true conception of what makes the poet
and what the poet is, lastly a tender music running through the
whole piece, which stamp it as the work of true poetic genius.
We have in the Horatian Ode, as in the Propertian, the idea of the
triumph of the chariot-race, of the influences which mould the
poetic faculty, of the detracting work of envy, of the certainty of
Rome's approving verdict ; but Horace has the consummate art to
put every idea in its right place, and give it its importance with
reference to the whole ; he speaks with the simplicity and modesty
of true greatness, and proves his right to fame by the very manner
of his renouncing it. Propertius is somewhat fussy in his self-
assertion ; he pushes his rivals rudely by ; he does not observe a
due order in his ideas, but proclaims his triumph first, records the
grounds for it afterwards, and acknowledges lastly that, after all, it
has not been yet awarded to him : he acquaints us with the source
of his inspiration before he has made us feel that he is inspired,
whereas Horace first makes us feel that he is a poet, and not till
then does he tell us that all his merit is the Muse's gift. Lastly, while
Propertius has to glorify his models if he would exalt the copyist,
and looks to such frigid sources of inspiration as Muses' grottoes
and Muses' inspiring founts, Horace appeals to Nature as the true
fashioner of poets in those noble and tuneful words which Words-
worth might fain have written :
Sed quae Tibur aquae fertile praefluunt,
Et spissae nemorum comae,
Fingent Aeolio carmine nobilem.
1-4. Addressing the shades of Callimachus and Philetas, the
poet prays for admission to their sacred grove : then assuming that
his prayer is granted, he claims to be the first inspired bard who
has wedded the rites of Italy to the song of Greece. Callimachus
S
258 NOTES.
and Philetas were the two great masters of the Alexandrine
Elegiac School, a school whose characteristic feature was a mixture
of poetry with erudition. Philetas of Cos was the younger of the
two ; he lived under the first Ptolemy, by whom he was appointed
to be tutor to his son Philadelphus, and died probably between 290
and 2 70 B. c. Callimachus, a member of the noble family of the
Battiadae of Cyrene, was patronised by Philadelphus and was chief
librarian of the famous Alexandrine library (of which the main part
was burnt during the blockade of Julius Caesar) from circ. 260 to
240 B. c. Besides being a poet, Callimachus was one of the most
famous grammarians and critics of the Alexandrine school, and his
poems were a marvel of laboured and affected learning. Fragments
of his hymns and epigrams remain ; but he was especially deemed the
prince of elegiac poetry, and in this branch the best idea of his tortuous
and erudite style is to be obtained from Catullus' adaptation of his
Coma Berenices. Philetas was deemed second to Callimachus : less
oppressed with learning, he had probably more genuine poetic
feeling. His mam works were elegies in praise of his mistress
Bittis or Battis. Propertius speaks of both with the utmost rever-
ence as his masters. Besides the passage before us, see 3. 9. 43
Inter Callimachi sat erit placuisse libellos,
Et cecinisse modis, Coe poeta, tuis.
In 2. 34. 31-2, whatever reading be adopted, the two poets seem
placed on a par; but in 3. 3. 51-2 he derives his inspiration from
Philetas alone,
Talia Calliope, lymphisque a fonte petitis
Ora Philetaea nostra rigavit aqua.
1. sacra. As Postgate observes, the word sacra may be used
in the widest possible sense, of any ' sacred things ' ; whether sacred
rites, or sacred reliques, or even possibly the disembodied spirits of
the departed. The idea is the same which we have had above,
2. 10. 24.
Pauperibus sacris vilia tura damus,
where see note. The poets are priests of the Muses ; to be ad-
mitted to their holy grove, to take pirt in their holy rites, is to be
admitted a brother of the guild. Callimachus and Philetas being
dead, Propertius addresses their Manes ; and using that ' disjunctive-
ness' of expression which has been illustrated on 2. 13. 37 (see
Postgate's introduction), he speaks of the Manes of Callimachus and
the sacra of Philetas as if he meant two distinct things. What he
means is simply 'O Shades of Callimachus and Philetas, admit me to
your holy grove, and let me too have a share in your holy rites.'
PROPERTIUS, III. I., 1-6. 259
3. ingpredior has immediate reference to ire 1. a : in 1. 4 he
changes the idea, and uses the word in the metaphorical sense of
'beginning' or 'undertaking.' Thus instances of the infinitive after
ire, pergere, etc., are not quite in point.
puro de fonte, partly from the idea of priests sprinkling
themselves and the worshippers with pure water : partly from that
of drinking in inspiration from springs sacred to the Muses. Cp. 3.
3. 51 quoted above.
4. orgia, ' secret rites,' like nvar-qpia, especially of the rites of
Bacchus. Thus the idea is that the sacred rites and emblems of
Italian worship are to be carried on and worshipped under the forms
of Greek choric dance and song. In other words, the boast is the
same as that more simply expressed by Hor. Od. 3. 30. 13 under a
different metaphor,
Dicar ... ...
Princeps Aeolium carmen ad Italos
Deduxisse modos.
To take/<rr with Itala orgia, even if admissible, would be to remove
a slight harshness of meaning by a greater harshness of language.
5. pariter, 'side by side;' implying not only that the two
poets are equal, but equal in the same style of poetry.
tennastis, referring to the fineness and finish of their verses.
The idea is taken from spinning, to which the drawing out of verses
(like our ' spinning a yarn ') is so often compared. Cp. Hor. Ep. 2.
i. 225, imitated by Columella 10. 40
Pierides tenui deducite carmine Musae.
So Virg. E. 6. 5
deductum dicere carmen.
antro. Caves and grottoes were specially regarded as haunts
of the Muses: artificial grottoes were frequently manufactured
in the grounds of Roman villas, and called musea. In 3. 2. 14 such
grottoes are called operosa antra : see too 3. 3. 27.
6. qnove pede has no reference to the superstition that it was
more lucky to enter a place with the right foot (cp. Juv. Sat. IO. 5
Quid tarn dextro pede concipis ?
where see Mayor), for (i) utro would be required with that sense ;
(2) it seems absurd to pronounce these poets unrivalled, and in
the same breath to ask whether they had begun their career auspi-
ciously or not; (3) the sense of the whole passage requires a
question as to the cause and secret of their success. Postgate is
doubtless right in supposing that pede conveys a double meaning :
(i) the natural one of 'gait,' and so 'march,' 'progress,' 'success;'
S 2
260 NOTES.
(2) a reference to metrical feet. He well quotes a similar confusion
or union of ideas from Ov. Am. 3. i. 8
Venit odoratos Elegeia nexa capillos,
Et puto pes illi longior alter erat.
The ancients were constantly led into false reasonings from not
distinguishing between the literal and metaphorical uses of words.
quanive bibistis aquam ? continues the same sense , ' From
what spring did you gain your inspiration ? ' The allusion, as in 2. 10.
25, is to the inspiring properties of Hippocrene and other springs.
7. valeat, as we might say ' Good-bye to,' ' Farewell to,"
'Away with.' Cp. Plaut. Amph. 3. 2. 46 and Cic. N. D. i. 44. 124
Si talis est deus ut nulla hominum caritate teneatur, valeat, i. e.
' let me have nothing to say to him.' So Hor. Ep. 2. i. 180.
Phoebum moratnr. Cp. the legal phrase nihil morari
aliquem = ' to dismiss.'
in armis, i.e. occupies his poetic genius with singing feats of arms.
8. A powerfully concentrated line, in which every word tells.
Exactus implies finish ; tenui, subtlety, fineness, point ; pumice,
polished smoothness ; eat, the stately gliding march or flow of the
line, as in Johnson's With fatal sweetness elocution flows. To say
that tenui, ' fine,' stands for ' refining,' is unnecessary ; nothing
is commoner, both in ancient and modem poetry, than to court
variety by using an adjective with some noun to which it does
not strictly apply, leaving the rnind insensibly to alter the relation
between the words. When Hor. Ep. i. 19. 18 says exsangue
cuminum, we translate ' the bloodless cumin,' and need no com-
mentator to tell us that it is the cheek, not the plant, to which
the epithet applies. So with pallidam Pirenen Pers. Prol. 4,
timor albus id. 3. 115; to translate ' pallor-causing ' is to destroy
the poetry. Cp. divitis Nili Juv. 13. 27. In the present passage,
tenui could not mean ' refining,' because pumice-stone makes things
smooth, not fine ; and it is clear that the epithet derives its point
from -versus, not from pumice. Pumice-stone no doubt was used to
smoothe the edges of a parchment-roll when finished and rolled up ;
but there is no allusion here to a finished book, only to the smooth
finish of a line.
eat, used specially of ' flowing,' as in Virg. Aen. 8. 726
Euphrates ibat tarn mollior undis,
and so of the flow of verses, Hor. S. i. 10. 58 versiculos . . . euntes
mollius, quoted by Post.
9-14. These lines show a rapid development of changing
metaphor. In 9 the poet's verse is a flying car, in which Fame car-
PROPERTIUS, III. I., 7-16. 261
ries him aloft ; in 10 the car becomes a triumphal chariot, in which
his muse, i. e. himself, is borne away, his Loves, like children, by his
side (u), and a crowd of poets following at the wheels (12). In 13
he is in a chariot-race, on a course too narrow (14) for his rivals to
have any hope of passing him.
9. a me Nata, ' sprung from myself,' ' child of my brain '
(Postgate), like the carmina non prius audita of Hor. Od. 3. I. 2.
10. coronatis, the horses of a triumphing general were
wreathed with garlands ; and
11. his young sons rode with him in the car : those who had
attained to manhood rode on horseback. Tacitus tells us that when
Germanicus triumphed he had five children in the car along with him.
12. The crowd of imitator poets follow after the car, as soldiers
after their general, secuta cannot exactly go with vectantur, as
they were on foot. Either the general sense of ' marching,' ' ad-
vancing,' is to be extracted from vectanttir, or else secuta stands for
secuta fuerit or sit^sequatur.
13. missis, for the more usual immissis, of the reins shaken
loose upon the horses' necks to urge them on. Thus immissis habe-
nis Virg. Aen. 5. 662; immissis frenis id. n. 889: the horses
themselves are immissi Cic. Fam. 10. 30. 3, etc.
in me goes both with missis and certatis, of the goal or object
aimed at. Keats likens a poet to a charioteer in his ' Sleep and Poetry : '
For lo ! I see afar
G'ersailing the blue cragginess, a car
And steeds with streamy manes the charioteer
Looks out upon the winds with glorious fear:
Most awfully intent
The driver of those steeds is forward bent.
14. currere lata, a rather harsh Greecism: 'broad in the
running.' Cp. note on 2. 13. 28. The peculiarity here is that the noun
agreeing with the adjective could not be (as usual) the subject of the
verb. It is the same kind of harshness to say -via currit as pagina
detulit opus below, 1. 18. Currere might possibly also be taken with
datur ; or with the whole sentence, instead of with lata only. There
is no broad-running road, no ' royal road,' to the Muses. Finder says
that two constructions are mixed up here, non datur ad musas lata
via, and non datur currere lata via (ablative). What does this
mean ? Is it not like saying that ' lata should be in the ablative, only
it wouldn't scan ? '
16. Here again we have the usual prophecy that Augustus will
extend the Roman empire to the eastern confines of Parthia. See
262 NOTES.
above, and Virg. Aen. 8. 688, where Bactra (as elsewhere Britain) is
called ultima.
17, 18. See note on 2. 13. 37. Pagina detulit opus is somewhat
like cantarunt scripta Catulli 2. 34. 87.
Sororum, of the Muses, as in 2. 30. 27.
18. Intacta via. Cp. Hor. Od. 3. 2. 22
Virtus . . . negata tentat iter via,
while in Sat. i. 10. 66 he speaks of Lucilius as
Graecis intacti carminis auctor.
All the poets of the Augustan age are equally emphatic in proclaim-
ing their own originality : so Virg. G. 3. 293 and Hor. Epp. i. 19. 21
Libera per -vacuum posui vestigia princeps,
Non aliena meo pressi pede,
though confessing, in the same breath, that it was only an originality
of imitation.
19. Mollia refers to amatory poetry in opposition to the diira
of Epic. Cat. 16. 4 couples molliculi with parum pudici of his own
verses. So in 4. 1. 6 1 Ennins has a hirsuta corona, he himself asks
for one ex hedera. See note on 2. i. 41.
Peg-asides, i.e. the Muses. The Greeks knew nothing of
Pegasus as the horse of the Muses, beyond the fact that by a kick of
his hoof he called up the inspiring fount of Hippocrene. The
Roman poets abound in allusions to the poetic character of Pegasus,
and go so far as to attribute to the spring of Pirene, near Corinth,
where Pegasus was caught by Bellerophon, the same inspiring pro-
perties which were possessed by Hippocrene. Thus Persius couples
both the fans caballinus (Hippocrene) and pallida Pirene with the
Muses, Prol. i. 4.
20. faciet used absolutely, without a case. Cp. the phrase
facere, 'to sacrifice,' where sacra must be supplied, Virg. E. 3. 77
Cum faciam vitula pro frugibus, ipse venito.
So/acere ad, like Mr. Matthew Arnold's phrase, 'to make for right-
eousness.' Cp. 'the things which make for peace,' Rom. 14. 19.
The verb is thus reduced to the mere expression of action, as in the
auxiliary use of our do, does. We may almost translate here with
Postgate ' will do for.'
21. At implies a transition to a new theme, the disparagement
of his verses by detractors. Like Horace, Propertius suffered from,
and complained of, the unworthy jealousy of rivals : Horace could
speak of it with the toleration and temper of a man of the world,
and boasts at last that he has lived it down, Od. 4. 3. 16
Et iam dente minus mordeor invido.
PROPERTIUS, III. I., 17-25. 263
21. 22. Cp. Keats :
Happy he ivho trusts
To dear Futurity his darling fame ;
and again
These are the pleasures of the bard,
But richer far Posterity's award.
23, 24. The idea is similar to, but not quite the same as, that
of Hor. Od. 3. 24. 31, 32
Virtutem incolumen odimtts
Sublatam ex oculis quaerimus iwuidi:
the contrast here is merely as to the extent of a man's fame.
22. Honos. This passage, with its imitation by Ov. Am. 1. 15. 40,
is enough to disprove the dictum that Honor, especially in the singu-
lar, means necessarily some concrete thing and especially ' a public
office.' It is here personified as a quality and is equivalent to
gloria. See note on Tib. I. 7. 53.
23. Omnia . . . finglt maiora, ' fashions everything on a larger
scale.' Fingere refers essentially to the plastic arts and processes, and
is applied to the moulding of any ductile substance. It does not
therefore mean here simply ' makes greater,' 'magnifies' (Postgate),but
it refers to making up, as it were, and fashioning the materials of the
past on a new and larger scale. Fingent nobilem Hor. Od. 4. 3. 12
is ' will shape into nobility.'
vetustas is the abstract quality implied by vetus, which properly
means ' old ' in the sense of ' having lasted for a long time.' Thus
it is applied by Horace to old trees, old wine, old friends, old stories,
old poems. Vetustas therefore is simply 'length of time,' 'age,'
which is here said, in its simplest meaning, to magnify the past.
Thus Postgate's explanation is unnecessarily elaborate : ' a prospec-
tive-retrospective use, an age to come when the present shall be a
distant past.' Finder is right in translating ' The oldness of things
makes them seem greater.' Cp. -vetustate dilapsum in the Inscrip-
tion quoted on 3. 2. 12.
24. ab, ' after.' The phrase is imitated, as Postgate points out,
by Ov. P. 4. 1 6. 3.
25. Ham, proceeding to give instances.
pulsas is not very appropriate to arces, but this kind of con-
fusion is precisely in the manner of Propertius. The explanation of
Paley and Postgate, that when he said equo pulsas he had a battering-
ram in mind, seems harsh and unpoetical. For the following pas-
sage cp. Joanna Baillie :
264 NOTES.
O who shall lightly say that fame
fs nothing but an empty name,
When but for that our mighty dead,
AH ages past, a blank would be,
Sunk in oblivions murky bed
A desert bare, a shipless sea.
26. Haexnonio viro, i. e. Achilles, from ffaemonia, the old
name of Thessaly.
27. Postgate adopts G. Wolff's conjecture lovis cum prole Sca-
mandro on the ground that flumina shows that two rivers must be
intended, and that Propertius is referring to Horn. II. 21. 2, where
the Scamander summons the Simois to help him against Achilles.
But this change, as Palmer says, is rescribere non emendare Proper-
tium. Reading the whole passage 25-30 through, it will be seen
that each line contains a single and separate idea, so that Postgate's
argument that flumina, 1. 26, ' shows two rivers must be mentioned '
falls to the ground. . Rather the mention of Achilles' river-fight
mainly with the Scamander calls up the Simois as being famous on
another ground. Palmer ingeniously conjectures
Idaeos monies (or Idaeo sub monte) lovis incunabula parvi,
quoting Virg. Aen. 3. 105, to show that Crete was looked upon as the
' cradle ' of Jove,
Mons Idaeus ubi et gentis cunabula nostrae,
and Cic. Att. 2. 41 to illustrate the connection of mantes with incuna-
bula : Ad monies patrios et ad incunabula nostra. R. Ellis, Journal
of Phil. 15. p. 1 8, supports the MS. reading. He well quotes Manilius
2. 25 lovis et cunabula magni, and Ovid's lovis incunabula Creten,
and points out that Pacatus Paneg. Theodos. 4 has the very expression
of Propertius, terra Cretensis parvi lovis gloriata cunabulis. The
confusion between the Trojan and Cretan Ida, and between other
similar names in Crete and the Troad, is frequent and well known.
See Herz.'s note. But see also Hous., J. of Phil. xxi. p. 126.
28. per campos. Postgate adopts the conjecture ter for per, re-
garding it as a certain correction. So Palmer. But it is unnecessary, and
does not improve the sense. To say that Hector ' thrice through or
across the plain stained the chariot-wheels of Achilles ' is an intelli-
gible mode of saying that three turns or courses were made through
the plain, i. e. that he was thrice dragged round the city. But to
say that he ' thrice stained the plain, thrice the wheels ' is less obvious
in meaning.
29. The termination of this line is unsatisfactory. Polydamas
is quoted by Cic., Pers., etc., as the Mrs. Grundy of the time, from
PROPERTIUS, III. I., 26-34. 265
his croaking advice to the Trojans to retire behind their walls. But
Sil. Ital. 12. 212
Polydamanteis iuvenis Pedianus in armis
shows that there was some story, hitherto unexplained, about the
arms of Polydamas which might explain Polydamantis in armis.
Simpler is Polydamanta sub armis, Polydamas being mentioned
merely as a Trojan warrior. That Polydamantis in armis refers to
Paris in 1. 30 is unlikely : see n. to 1. 27. Palm, now conj. Polyda-
manta sine annis, ' had it not been for their antiquity ' ; Class. Rev.
ii. 39.
30. Paris is reserved for the last, to complete the climax. Paris
himself, the fans et origo of the whole Trojan disaster, would be un-
known to the soil of his own country, were it not for the poets.
Qualemcunque, used absolutely, not relatively : ' of whatever
kind he was.' Cp. Quint, n. I. 14 Hoc qualecunque discrimen raro
admodum eveniet.
31. Exigoio sermone. An extension, not uncommon, of the
ablative of quality to an absolutely external circumstance. Applied
to an individual it would be natural enough, meaning ' with, small
powers of talk,' just as exiguo corpore would mean ' with a small
body ' (Nep. Ages. 8). The peculiarity here is that the sermo is not
that of Ilion, but of people about Ilion : in other words, Ilion is the
object, not the subject, of the talk.
32. No satisfactory distinction has been established between
Ilion (or Ilium) and Troia. In Virg. Aen. 3. 3 both words are used
to denote the town exclusively :
ceciditque stiperbum
Ilium, et omnis humo fumat Neptunia Troia.
Oetaei del, i. e. Hercules, so called because he erected his
funeral pyre on the top of Mount Oeta. Troy was twice taken by
Hercules : once by himself, because Laomedon defrauded him of
his promised reward for saving his daughter Hesione from the sea-
monster ; a second time because it was by his arrows, bequeathed to
Philoctetes, that Paris was wounded, and the Greeks thus enabled
to take the city.
34. Posteritate, simply ' in the after-time.' Surely not, as Post-
gate suggests, an ablative of the means, ' through posthumous lapse
of time.' Posterus is not equivalent to ' posthumous : ' postumus
itself does not necessarily, only by implication, mean ' after death ; '
and posteritas means simply ' subsequent-ness.' Cp. Hor. Od. 3. 30. 7
usque ego postera
Crescam laude recens,
266 NOTES.
where note crescam in the same sense as crescere here. So Virg. E.
7- 25-
35. It is an over-refinement to say that Roma and seros nepotes
are identical. Rome is the abiding personality of the city which lives
through all generations of her sons ; she may perfectly well therefore
be said ' to praise Propertius amongst her distant grandchildren.'
36. Ilium, prophetic of the far-off day when his reputation
will grow to its full height.
37. 38. His true fame will only be recognised inter seros
nepotes : but he has secured at least that there shall be no dishonour
done to his remains upon his death. The allusion may be either to
the directions he has given to Cynthia, above, 1.19 and 2. 13. 41, 42 ;
or, as some hold Lycio deo to indicate, to the admission of his works
into the Palatine Library, founded by Augustus, B. c. 28. See 2. 31
and introduction.
39, 40. Most of the MSS. commence a new Elegy with this
couplet: Hertz, and other editors place it at the end of El. i. The
two poems seem in any case to be connected together. In the first,
Propertius asserts his position as a poet in somewhat high-flown lan-
guage, and compares himself to Homer. In the second, he descends
from this lofty pedestal, and declares that his true function is to sing
the praises of maidens. The two lines before us mark the transition ;
and they seem less abrupt at the end of the First Elegy than at the
beginning of the Second. If we so place them, they serve to soften
down the high pretensions just made, as though the poet felt he had
pitched them in too high a key, and to give a natural unpretending
close to the poem. Exactly similar is the light playful ending with
which Horace loves to close his more high-strung Odes.
39. in orbem. The usual round or routine of subject which
he had struck out for himself. Cp. Ov. Rem. Am. 398
gyro curre, ptieta, too.
40. N. gives insolito; but 1. 39 makes that reading impos-
sible.
III. 2.
1. detinuisse. Palmer, following Paley, adopts Ayrmann's
conj. delinisse. But I feel sure that N.'s reading detinuisse is right.
The correspondence between detinuisse and sustinuisse seems
intentional. Detinuisse is applied to the animals, who were chained
to the spot, and kept from going on their ways : sustinuisse
implies effort and resistance, of the rivers whose onward course was
PROPERTIUS, ill. J., 35-40; III. 2., i-n. 267
stopped. So Ov. Fast. 5. 662 applies sustinere to water, cursum
sustinuistis aquae, while Mart. 14. 166 uses detinere of the wild
beasts :
Qui duxit silvas detinuitque feras.
Similar is the use of tenere in 2. 10. 14 where the Euphrates Crassos
se tenuisse dolet. Detineo is specially used of a subject which occu-
pies the attention : Ov. Trist. 2. 520
Saepe oculos memini detinuere meos,
and Trist. 5. J. 39
Detineo studiis animum falloqi4e labores,
3. Referring to Amphion : cp. Hor. Od. 3. n. 2
Movit Amphion lapides canendo.
agltata, simply ' moved.' Thebas, accusative of motion to-
wards. For Thebas prob. Phoebeam should be read (see Hous.).
5. fera. Palmer conjectures freto without sufficient reason.
8. colit, the indicative mood, because the poet states it as a
fact.
9. Quod is here equivalent to ' whereas,' ' although.' It is pro-
perly an accusative of respect ' with regard to the fact that.'
911. This passage gives unmistakeable evidence of a careful
study of Horace. Every one of the ideas in it is to be traced in
Horace, though with a different application. L. 9 corresponds to
Od. 3. i. 45
Cur invidendis postibus et novo
Sublime ritu moliar atrium ?
1. 10 to 2. 18. 1-5
A~0n ebur neque aureum
Mea renidet in domo lacunar ;
Non trabes Hymettiae
Premunf columnas ultima recisas
Africa :
and for the meaning of the whole cp. Epod. i. 25-30.
L. II recalls Od. 3. 16. 41
Quam si Mygdoniis regnum Alyattei
Campis continuem.
See too id. 33-36. For 11. 13, 14, cp. Od. 3. 4. 25
Vestris amicum fontibus et choris.
On the parallel to 11. 17-22, see note on 1. 17 : and the concluding
lines 23, 24 are a paraphrase on 4. 8. 28, 29
Dignum laude virum Musa vetat mart:
Caelo Musa beat.
11. Phaeacas, ace. plural, from Phaeacus. Phaeax is 'a
268 NOTES.
Phaeacian,' used as a synonym for ' fat and comfortable,' Hor. Ep.
i. 13. 24, and as an adjective by Juv. 15. 23 Phaeax populus.
mea, emphatic.
aequant, here intransitive, 'rises to the level of,' 'is equal
to.' The proper meaning is transitive, ' to make equal,' i. e. ' to make
one thing equal to another.' In Virg. Geo. I. 113
Cum primum sulcos aequant sata,
the meaning is ambiguous : the word may either mean ' make the
furrows equal,' i. e. to each other, by obliterating all signs of the ridges ;
or else ' rise to the level of, become equal to, the furrows.'
12. For operosa antra see 3. I. 5 and note. The water for the
grotto was to come from the famous Aqua Marcia, the first of the
great Roman aqueducts which was conducted for a considerable
distance on arches. It was built by Q. Marcius Rex, B. c. 145, bring-
ing its water from Sublaqneum (the modern Subiaco^, a distance of
over sixty Roman miles. Of this distance more than seven miles was
above ground : and the remains of these arches, together with those
of the more magnificent Aqua Claudia (built by the emperor
Claudius), form to this day one of the most impressive features of the
Roman Campagna. In an archway in the ancient walls, close to the
modern Porta S. Lorenzo, are still to be seen high in air the specus
or channels by which three of the principal sources of water-supply
reached the city, the Mama, the Tepula, and the Julia. The lowest
of the three is the Marcia : and it bears the following inscription,
recording its restoration by Vespasian : Imp. Titus Caesar Divi F.
Vespasianus Aug. Pont. Max. tribuniciae potest. IX Imp. X V Cens.
Cos. VII Design. VIII rivum aquae Marciae vetustate dilapsum
refecit et aquam quae in usu esse desierat reduxit. Propertius again
speaks of this aqueduct 3. 22. 24
Aeternum Marcius humor opus
The distribution of the water through the city was effected by leaden
pipes (see Hor. Ep. I. 10. 20) : and Propertius in the present passage
refers to the possibility of ' laying on ' the Marcian water by such a
pipe to an artificial Muses' grotto. But though the Romans used
pipes to distribute water downwards from the higher points of the
aqueducts, and apparently knew that water, confined in pipes, rises
to its own level, they preferred the aqueduct as the easiest method.
Nor did they know how to make pipes strong enough to bear the
strain. The Anio Novus travelled over fourteen miles of arches,
some of them 109 feet in height !
13. cara. Lachmann quite unnecessarily adopts the variant
grata.
PROPERTIUS, III. 2., 12-19. 269
14. Calliope or Calliopea (so Virg. E. 4. 57) was specially the
Muse of Epic poetry ; but the Roman poets paid little regard to the
provinces of the Muses, and appealed to them indifferently. Horace
addresses in turn Calliope, Clio, Euterpe, Polyhymnia, and Melpo-
mene, as the sources of his inspiration. Mr. Verrall's ingenious
attempt to show that the poet varied his muse with his mood will
scarcely bear examination (Studies in Horace).
choris. The dance and the song were so inseparably bound
together that the former is used as synonymous with the latter. So
in 3. i. 4: and Horace, when addressing the Muses, speaks of him-
self, Od. 3. 4. 25, as
Festris anricum fontibus et choris.
15. si qua est. The si qua gives a general meaning to the
phrase : the indicative es makes it apply to Cynthia alone.
16. Cp. Shakespeare, Sonnet 81
Your monument shall be my gentle verse.
17. The following lines have an echo of Hor. Od. 3. 30. 1-5
running through them : here again we may note the statelier march,
the more natural order, the more self-restrained power, of the Venusian
poet:
Exegt monumentum aere perenmus,
Regalique situ pyramidum altius,
Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens
Possit dirztere, aut innumerabilis
Annorum series, et fuga temporum.
Pyramidum sumptns, i. e. Pyramides sumptuosae, as Finder
points out, comparing Horace's Pyramidum situs. Situs is the finer
idea, so suggestive of immovability and permanence.
ducti, in reference to the height of the Pyramids. Duco is
used specially of all things or operations which imply length : hence
ducere murum, ' to build a wall ; ' ducere pocula, ' take a long
draught,' a pull ; ' ducere helium, ' to prolong ; ' ducere -versus, ' to
write verses,' etc.
18. Of the handsomely fretted or spangled ceiling. But the
words might refer to the vaulted ceiling, or to the mere height of the
building, as in Hor. Od. 3. 29. 10
Molem propinquam nubibus arduis.
19. Mausolus was a king of Caria, who died B. C. 353, to whom
his wife Artemisia erected the magnificent and marvellous monument
which has given its name to all similar erections.
dives fortuna sepulcri, ' a poetical periphrasis for the tomb
itself, like the sumptus Pyramidum just before,' Finder.
270 NOTES.
20. Mortis ertrema conditione. See note above on I. 19 2.
21. stibducet, scarcely an appropriate word with flamma and
imber, as it properly implies a silent stealthy withdrawing. Possibly,
like Horace's edax, it may apply to the gradual corrosion and decay
of damp.
22. Fondere victa, * crushed Ly their overweight.' Hons.
reads ictus pondera : ' the strokes of years will overcome the massy
piles and cast them down.'
23. quaesitum again suggests the superbiam Quaesitam
meritis of Hor. Od. 3. 30. 15.
ab aevo, ' at the hands of time ' or ' in consequence of.' Or
the ab might be instrumental, stronger than aevo alone. Finder
translates ' shall fall away from time ' or ' life.' But aevum does not
signify 'life' as distinguished from 'death,' but only 'a life-time.'
Possibly the meaning may be ' shall be wrested from time.'
With these last lines cp. Shelley, Adonais :
And he is gathered to the kings of thought
Who -waged contention with their times decay,
And of the past are all that cannot pass away.
HI. 3-
ONCE more Propertius returns to the theme that Apollo and the
Muses have forbidden him to sing in heroic verse the glories of
Roman history, and warned him to confine himself to elegiac verse.
So exactly Hor. Od. 4. 15. i
Phoebus volentem praelia me loqui
Victas et urbes increpuit lyra,
Ne parva Tyrrhenum per aequor
Vela darem.
So completely had the examples of Homer and Ennius placed Epic
poetry upon a level above all other, that those who laboured in any
other field felt that they could not make good their claim to be poets
at all without apology. But it is to be marked, that while there is a
truer note of manly modesty in Horace's estimate of his own powers
and his aims, so, in the very act of self-depreciation, he has thrown
an undying historical halo round the very men and acts whose praises
he announces himself unwilling to sing. The hum of the toilsome
bee of Mount Matinus has sounded not less bravely, has ministered
to Fame no less notably, than the note of the Dircaean swan.
The piece is in the form of a dream or allegory in which Apollo
warns the poet away from severer studies, and Calliope promises him
inspiration in Elegiac poetry.
PROPERTIUS, ill. a., 20-23 ; III. 3-, '-7- 271
1. Visns eram goes with recubans and hiscere posse, ' Me-
thought I lay, and dreamed I could,' etc.
xnolli, with reference partly to the easy lounging of the poet's
life, as Hor. has it Od. i. I. 21
nunc viridi membra sub arbuto
Stratus, mine ad aquae lene capnt sacrae,
(cp. the phrase vita umbratilis, etc.), partly to the character of ama-
tory poetry. See above note on 3. i. 19.
2. Seller ophontei. See note on 3. I. 19. Cp. taballinus fans,
'the hack's spring,' Pers. Prol. I.
4. Tantum operis. A common phrase = Tantum opus.
The words are in apposition to the whole sentence. So Virg. Aen.
6. 223
pars ingenti subiere feretro,
Triste ministerium, et subiectam more parentum
Aversi tenuere faccm ;
ib. 10. 311
primus tunnas invasit agrestes
Aeneas, omen pugnae.
The construction is commoner in Greek than in Latin.
nervis hiscere posse, 'that I had strength to gasp forth.' Ner-
vus means ' a muscle,' and is the regular term for denoting physical
strength. Hence neruosus is ' muscular,' 'powerful.' Quis Aristotele
nervosior? Cic. Brut. 31. 121, and so our phrase 'nervous energy.'
hiscere, 'to lisp,' or 'gasp,' because of the greatness of the task.
Hisco implies generally that utterance is choked by fear, nervousness,
sense of guilt, etc.
5. Farva ora, of small unworthy lips, with reference tofontibus ;
not surely parallel to os magnum 2. 10. 12 (where see note) or os
rotundum Hor. A. P. 323. - In a passage imitated from this Pers.
Prol. i uses labra prolui, ' soused my lips.'
6. pater, a term of respect to Ennius, as the father of Roman
song. So Hor. Epp. I. 19. 7 : cp. id. 2. I. 50
Ennius et sapiens et fortis et alter Homerus.
7. Curios for Curiatios: the form does not occur elsewhere
For Horatia cp. note on 3. 2. n. As Postgate points out, Horatia
pila may refer either to the column in the Forum on which the spoils
of the conquered Curiatii were hung, or to the arms themselves
(Bum's Rome, p. 104). But it is possible that there is also an allu-
sion to the pilum, the characteristic weapon of the Roman legions.
The MSS. read cecinit, doubtless from the neighbourhood of
Ennius, and not understanding the coherence of the passage. But
272 NOTES.
the sense requires cecini. The allusion to Ennius is slight ; it occurs
only in the pentameter ; and to take up six lines with details of what
Ennius wrote as a reason why Propertius should sing something
different, has neither sense nor propriety. Propertius had tremblingly
touched the mighty fount with his lips : he dreamed that he essayed,
in consequence, to follow the example of Ennius, when (1. 1 3) he was
stopped by Phoebus.
8. The allusion, without doubt, is to the triumphal return of L.
Aemilius Paullus from his great victory over Perseus, the king of
Macedon, B. c. 167. Livy describes his magnificent progress up the
Tiber, 45. 35 Paullus ipse post dies paucos regia nave ingentis mag-
nitudinis quam sexdecim versus remorum agebant, ornata Macedonicis
spoliis, non insignium tantum armorum, sed ctiam regiorum texti-
lium, adverse Tiberi ad urbem est subvectus, completis ripis obviam
effusa multitudine.
Those editors who read cecinit hold themselves compelled
to pass by this unmistakeable allusion because Ennius died two
years before the event occurred, and refer to the comparatively obscure
defeat of Demetrius of Pharos by L. Aem. Paullus the father in B. c.
2 19. But even so, it is scarcely necessary to suppose that Propertius
would have been so accurate in his chronology or his quotations.
9. Victrices moras, in allusion to the famous waiting policy
of the Dictator Q. Fabius Maximus throughout the latter part of the
year 217 B. c. : the words of Ennius were
Unus homo nobis cunctando restituit rent,
closely imitated by Virg. Aen. 6. 847.
10. versos, used exactly in the scriptural sense of ' turning ' the
heart: so a. 28. 32
Et deus et durus vertitur ipse dies.
The reference is still to Fabius who, on the very day of being
appointed Dictator, edocuisset patres plus negligentia cacrimonia-
rum auspiciorumque quam temeritate atque insdtia peccatum a C.
Flaminio consule esse~L.iv. 22. 9. See the extraordinary number of
pia vota conceived, caps. 9 and 10, and the still more marvellous
list of prodigies which had occurred previously, cap. I.
12. foisse. The infinitive is here used, dependent on cecini, after
a succession of substantives with participles or adjectives : tropaea
vecta, versos deos, Lares fugantes. So sup. I. 26 pulsas arces . . .
fiuminaque cominus esse.
Jupiter is identified with his temple. The allusion of course is to
the cackling of the sacred geese when the Gauls were besieging the
Capitol.
PROPERTIUS, III. 3., 8-21. 273
13. Castalia. Immediately behind the town of Delphi rises
Mount Parnassus, called SiKopv^ov or 5/Xo<foy {biceps Ov. Met. I. 316,
2. 221, etc.) by the ancients. This name was due not to the shape of
the summit invisible from Delphi itself but to two sharp peaks,
separated by a deep cleft, which crown a tremendous precipice which
overhangs the town. Down this precipice offenders against the
god were hurled ; and from its base issues the clear water of the
Castalian spring, dear to Apollo
Qui rare puro Castaliae lavit
Crines solutes
Hor. Od. 3. 4. 61.
Modern travellers have drank the waters of Castalia with varying
result : Dr. Spen was seized with a fit of poetic ecstasy ; Dr. Chand-
ler with a shivering-fit and a stomach-ache. Castalia was in Phocis :
but Propertius' dream was on Helicon in Boeotia. Postgate remarks
on the fanciful topography of the Roman poets, and quotes Statius
Silv. 2. 7. 4, who speaks of the Corinthian as one who
Pendentis bibit ungulae liquorem,
in allusion to the fount Hippocrene. But this mistake, as we have
already seen, arose from the identification of Hippocrene with Peirene
which was between Corinth and the Lechaeum. See Pers. Prol. 4.
14. Itwouldthus seem that the modern photographer has classical
authority for his favourite background of a tree-trunk or a grotto.
15. demens, used especially of those who make vain pre-
tensions, as of Salmoneus, Virg. Aen. 6. 590
Demens, qui nimbos et non imitabile fulmen
Aere et cornipedtitn pulsu simularet equorum.
18. Mollia. See note on 3. I. 19.
19, 2O. I. e. your poetry should be of a light kind, to occupy
the leisure moments of a maiden in her lover's absence. Scamnum is
' a bed-step,' the natural place on which to put a book from the lectus.
21. N. has perscripto sevecta, others praescriptos. Sevecta occurs
nowhere else : Postgate renders it ' deviate,' ' swerve aside.' Prof.
Palmer in his edition has devecta ; but he tells me he has now with-
drawn that conjecture. The sense seems to require a question depre-
cating undue ambition, which devecta would not imply: and the
change to praescriptos evecta is infinitesimal. For evehor with an
accusative cp. Tac. Ann. 12. 36 Unde fama eius evecta insulas et
proximas provincias pervagata per Jtaliam quoque celebrabatur.
Similarly egredi, exire, etc. take the accusative.
T
274 NOTES.
21. gyros. The metaphor is from the laps of the race-course,
to which evecta is strictly applicable. So orbem 3. i. 39.
22. I. e. 'you must not swamp your bark by over-freighting it.'
The comparison of a poet's craft to a ship is common : cp. inf.
39-4
Non sunt apta meae grandia vela rati,
and ib. 1. 35
Non ego velifera tumidum mare findo carina.
24. turba, 'confusion,' 'trouble.' Turbo, and turbare are
constantly used byPlautus in the sense of to 'work confusion,' ' make
mischief,' as of the mystifications of Tranio in the Mostellaria. Turbo
and turbidus are also frequently used of storms or foul weather : cp.
Attius ap. Non. 524. 26
Non vides quam turbam quosve fluctus concites ?
26. Palmer, following N., reads quo.
nova semita. Cp. intacta via 3. i. 18.
27. He describes one of the artificial grottoes spoken of above
3- 2. 12.
28. tympana, ' tambourines :' the special instrument of Cybele
and of Bacchanalian worship.
29. Ergo Musarum. So the MSS. Hertz, explains ergo as
having its original meaning = epyy, ' in very fact.' He quotes Hor.
Sat. 2. 6. 70, where ergo cannot mean 'therefore,' but rather 'so
then,' or else ' after that.' The latter meaning is not appropriate : if
ergo be retained it can only mean 'and so,' 'well,' ' to proceed,' 'and
then ' ( =Gk. Sql, implying that the appearance of the cave naturally
led up to the idea that it was a haunt of the Muses, adorned with
their emblems. Hertz, suggests organa as an alternative ; Haupt
orgia, while Miiller conjectures orgia mustarum (inystarum ?). Then
the sing, imago is out of place ; and it seems strange to have images
of the Muses when they were there themselves. The connection
between Bacchus and the Muses is constant. Cp. 2. 30. 37-8.
Hie ubi me prima statuent in parte choreae,
Et medius docta cuspide Bacchus erit,
In 4. 6. 75-6 we have the connection in a grosser form :
Ingenium potis irritet Musa poetis,
Bacche, soles Phoebo ferlilis esse tuo,
reminding us of the dictum of Cratinus as given by Hor. Ep. I. 19. 2
Nulla placere diu nee vivere carmina possunt
Quae scribuntur aquae potoribus,
PROPERTIUS, ill. 3., 21-35. 275
whilst in the next words Horace illustrates Pan Tegeaee by ranking
poets with Fauns and Satyrs :
ut male sanos
Adscripsit Liber Satyris Faunisque poetas.
31. mea turba, ' dear to me.' Doves were sacred to Venus ;
and in the grotto was a spring in which doves were dipping their red
beaks. The idea was probably a common one for representation on
wall or floor. In the museum of the Capitol there is a lovely piece
of mosaic representing this subject known by the name of ' The
Doves of Pliny,' so called because Pliny thus describes a work of the
mosaic worker Sosus : Mirabilis ibi columba bibens et aquam umbra
capitis infuscans. Apricantur aliae scabentes sese in canthari
labro.
32. Gorgoneo lacn. Another far-fetched allusion to Hippo-
crene.
punica, used here of the colour, as in Hor. Epod. 9. 27, for the
more common puniceus. Poenus, Poenicus, Punicus, puniceus are all
alike derived from <f>oitn(, the famous purple-dye having been dis-
covered first by the Phoenicians.
33. Diversae has properly reference to motion, 'turned apart,'
as diversi abeunt. Here it means ' each in her several place.'
Diverse, read by N., would have the same meaning. Let the young
student beware of translating diver sus by ' divers."
rura here is unmeaning, and it is obvious how the error arose.
In the line before, N. reads nostra for rostra : Hamb. apparently has
nostra in the margin. It would seem that the first letter of the
word, probably also that of rura just below it, had dropped out : the
r was then inserted by mistake before ura instead of, or as well as,
before ostra. lura involves a very slight change and gives a good
sense. Each of the Muses had her own province.
34. dona, in the sense of munera, implying their several func-
tions and capacities.
exercere, the strict meaning of which is to ' keep at work,' is
here almost exactly = our ' exercise.'
35. heeler as. The ivy, as sacred to Bacchus, was the plant of
poetic inspiration, and hence busts of poets were crowned with ivy :
Hor. Od. i. i. 29
Doctarum hederae praemia frontium.
Prop, specially connects the ivy with lighter themes : 4. I. 61
Ennius hirsuta cingat sua dicta corona:
Mi folia ex hedera porrige, Bacche, tua.
T 2
276 NOTES.
35. nervis, the strings of the lyre, as in Hor. Od. 3. n. 4
Tuque testudo resonare septem
Callida nervis.
36. Aptat, 'sets to the lyre:' the regular word for setting
words to music, Hor. Od. 2. 12. i, 4
Nolis longa ferae bella Numantiae
Aptari citharae modis.
The particular Muses are not to be identified.
rosam, because chaplets, especially of roses, were brought on
after the cena, when mirth and music came on. Hence sub rosa,
' under the rose,' of a thing told under the confidence of hospitality.
38. a facie, ' a false etymology. KaAAtowtta is from oip (a
voice), not aty (a face) ' Postgate.
39. Contentns. A somewhat amusing condescension. He
was to put up with a seat in the car of Venus, drawn by swans.
40. ducet ad arma. Cp. 2. I. 18
Ut possem heroas ducere ad arma manns,
where ducere is used in the same sense as here.
nee fortis eqni sonns. ' Xo neighing charger.'
41. Hil tibi sit, ' let it be naught in thine eyes,' ' deem it not to
be thy business.' Postgate points out that the more usual phrase is
nil ad te sit, ' let it be no concern of thine' : Prop, not unfrequently
using the Dat. for ad with the Ace. Cp. Lucr. 3. 830, Nil igitur
mors est ad nos.
classica and praeconia are both properly adjectives, but both
are used as substantives also. Classica is no doubt used simply for
' naval' as in 2. i. 28. Praeconia are proclamations or praises: cp.
Ov. Her. 17. 207
Non ita contemno volucris praeconia Famae.
42. Flare, undoubtedly right for \hejlere of the MSS. The word
is used no doubt in reference to the meaning oiclassicum, ' a trumpet,'
or 'trumpet-signal.' Cp. Mart. n. 3. 8
Quantaque Pieria praelia flare tuba.
43. Mariano sig-no, a loose ablative of circumstance, not
differing much from the ablative absolute : ' under, the banner of
Marius.'
44. In allusion to the two great victories of Marius over the
northern hordes; (i) over the Teutones and Ambrones at Aquae
Sextiae (Aix) near Marseilles in B. C. loa : (a) over the Cimbri at
Campi Raudii near Vercellae in Lombardy in B. C. 101.
Stent, of the armies drawn up and ready for battle. Note that
Nil tibi sit, 1. 41, is the predicate of the clauses quibus in campis
PROPERTIUS, III. 3., 35-52. 277
stent . . . refringat . . . vectet. The meaning must be ' let all these
events be nothing, i. e. of no consequence, in thine eyes.'
refringat. Cp. Hor. Od. 3. 3. 28.
45. Some word equivalent to ' how,' ' in what fashion,' has to
be gathered from quibus in campis to connect vectet with what goes
before. The allusion is apparently to the defeat of Ariovistus by
Caesar in B. c. 58. Ariovistus had entered Gaul to assist the Aedui
against the Sequani at the head of various German tribes, among
whom were the Suevi, a vague name assigned by Caesar to the tribes
occupying the East bank of the Rhine. Caesar's victory was gained
at a spot fifty miles from the Rhine : the defeated fled across the
river, some swimming, some in small boats, among whom was Ario-
vistus. Clearly Propertius had but dim ideas as to the site.
perfusus, as if the surface of the water ran with blood.
47. coronatos, of revellers who have just left a feast.
48. ebria, the epithet is transferred from the revellers to the
traces of their escapade. See above note on 3. I. 8.
49. excantare, whence our ' excantation,' used here in its
literal sense. Cp. Merchant of Venice 2. 5, where the Jew in vain
warns Jessica :
Hear you me, Jessica :
Lock up my doors : and when you hear the drum
And the vile squeaking of the wry-necked fife,
Clamber not thou up to the casements then,
Nor thrust your head into the public street
To gaze on Christian fools -with varnished faces,
But stop my house's ears, I mean my casements.
50. austeros viros, ' severe husbands,' or possibly ' cur-
mudgeon fathers,' such as Shylock himself. In the former case,
puellas would be ' young wives.' ferire, ' to cheat,' ' gull.'
52. ora rigavit, a proof that parva era, 1. 5, refers to the lips.
Postgate quotes Ov. Am. 3. 9. 23, where the lips of poets are said to be
watered by Homer as by a perennial fount. Our own ' Augustan '
poets are fond of introducing the inspiring springs of the Muses : cp.
Pope, Essay on Criticism,
A little learning is a dangerous thing ;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.
And the same Propertian vein is to be discerned in the pride and
care which Pope lavished on his grotto at Twickenham.
278 NOTES.
III. 4-
THIS poem is written in anticipation of the great expedition of
Augustus into the East, when he was to bring Parthia and India,
the Tigris and the Euphrates, under the sway of the Latian Jupiter,
and wipe out the disgrace of Carrhae. Though the poet speaks of the
Indian Ocean (1. 3) and of the furthest East, it is to be noted that
he says nothing of Arabia : it might therefore be inferred that this
poem was written after the failure of the Arabian expedition, B. c.
24. But see Introduction. Virgil is still more comprehensive in
his anticipations of the successes of the arms of Augustus, Aen. 7.
604
Sive Getis inferre manu lacrimabile helium,
Hyrcanisve Arabisve parant, seu tendere ad Indos,
Auroramque sequi, Parthosque reposcere signa.
1. Deus Caesar. In no passage of the Augustan poets is the
divine title so openly conferred on Augustus as in this.
Virgil and Horace generally cloak the flattery under poetical
forms, or pave the way for it under skilfully prepared approaches.
Thus Virg. E. i. 6, 7
Meliboee, deus nobis hate otia fecit :
Namque erit ille mihi semper deus,
a mode of statement that would scarcely shock a modern ear.
Horace shows still more consummate art in the celebrated Second
Ode of Book I, in which he formally proclaims his political faith.
Reversing the order of Propertius, he descends from the divine to the
human ; searching for one to whom Jupiter may assign the task of
wiping out from Rome the stain of fratricidal guilt, he passes in
review all the gods who care for Rome : he descends gently from
Apollo the purifier to Venus and Mars, the mother and the father of
the Roman race : then he passes on to Mercury, go-between between
men and gods, who as mutata iuvenem figura may consent to abide
on earth : then by carefully chosen human words triumphos, pater,
frinceps, Medos gradually paves the way for his identification,
but only in the very last word, with Caesar himself:
Hie magnos potius triumphos,
Hie antes did Pater atque Princeps,
Neu Medos sinas equitare inultos,
Te duce, Caesar.
Augustus never permitted himself to be worshipped as god in
Rome; in Spain and Asia he suffered temples and images to be
PROPERTIUS, III. 4., 1-5. 279
put up to him, but even then only in conjunction with the worship
of Rome, Suet. Oct. 52.
Caligula was the first Emperor who set up his own image in
Rome, between those of the Dioscuri ; and Domitian desired to be
addressed as Dominus et Deus. How prone the Romans had
become to such servile flattery appears from Tac. Ann. 4. 38, where
the historian puts a noble speech into the mouth of Tiberius when
refusing to allow divine honours to be paid to himself and his mother
in further Spain. This refusal, adds Tacitus, alii modestiam, multi,
quia diffideret, quidam ut degeneris animi interpretabantur.
Prof. Palmer suggests that meus may be the true reading for
Deus, and compares met ducts elsewhere. Eut in such a position would
not meus be an impertinence ?
ad goes with arma, ' an expedition to.'
2. gemmiferi marls, the Persian Gulf the whole of which
was embraced by the ancients under the name Red Sea or Indian
Ocean. The Romans, like the poet Gray
Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathomed caves of Ocean bear
imagined that all gems were Ocean products, and especially from
the Red Sea. Cp. Prop. I. 14. 12
Et legitur rubris gemma sub aequoribus.
So Mart. 5. 37. 4
Cut nee lapillos praeferas Erythraeos ;
and Tib. 2. 2. 15
Nee tibi gemmarum quidquid felicibus Indis
Nascitur, Eoi qua marts undo, rubet.
3. viri, ' gallants.' He addresses the army of invasion.
4. sub tua inra, 'under thy sway,' the word triumphos
naturally bringing back the mind from the army to its chief.
Distinguish between ius dicere, 'to administer justice,' 'to pronounce
judgment,' the province of a judge, and iura dare, ' to impose
laws,' the work of a legislator or conqueror. Thus Virgil, of
Acestes in his new Sicilian kingdom, Aen. 5. 758
Indicitque forum et patribus dat iura vocatis.
5. Sera sed . . . veniet, ' Though late, will come all the
same,' exactly parallel to Virg. E. i. 28
Libertas quae sera tamen respexit inertem.
See too Prop. 3. 6. 32
Poena erit ante meos sera, sed ampla, pedes.
veniet, i.e. the East (included under ultima terra 1. 3), or
perhaps more specially Parthia, will come in under the dominion of
280 NOTES.
Rome as a province. Thus veniet is stronger thany&tf, as if the East
came voluntarily to place herself under Roman protection. The
same idea is implied in fluent.
5. virjfis, in allusion to the fasces. It may be a dative of
possession, or possibly an ablative of description.
6. Fartha for Parthica: see note on 3. 2. n.
7. prorae is the vocative : so equi in the next line.
ezpertae bello, in allusion to Augustus' naval victories :
first, that gained over Sextus Pompeius by Agrippa in Sicily B. c. 36,
and, more notably, the battle of Actium in B. c. 31.
date lintea, ' spread your sails.' Dare is frequently thus
used with an accusative in such a way that the phrase is equivalent to
an intransitive verb. Thus Lucr. 2. 1143 says that one day the
walls of the world
Expugnata dabunt labem putrisque ruinas,
which simply means, ' will fall in crumbling ruins.' So dat
sonitttm, properly ' causes a sound,' is equivalent to ' resounds.' See
Munro on Lucr. 1. c. In other passages dare with a predicative
adjective is equivalent to a transitive verb: as Virg. Aen. 9. 323
Haec ego vasta dabo.
8. ducite munus. It is quite out of place to refer these
words to the Equites equo publico or the Equitum recognitio,
a ceremony long disused with a view to actual warfare, and only
partially restored for mere form's sake (Suet. Oct. 38) by Augustus.
The phrase is a confused expression ; ducere is appropriate to horses,
' lead forth,' or ' draw ;' munus, ' function,' would imply some such
word as ' perform' before it. As it stands, therefore, the phrase will
cover any work to be done by horses : armigeri confines it to the
cavalry.
9. plate, 'avenge.' Piare is a transitive verb, used in the
widest possible sense to denote any act of religious duty in re-
ference to the thing or person which stands as its object. Of a
god, 'to appease' or 'worship,' as Hor. Ep. 2. i. 143 Silvanum
lacte piabant ; of an altar, Prop. 3. 10. 19 ubi ture piaveris aras,
' hast duly honoured ; ' of a bad omen, ' to avert its evil con-
sequences,' Virg. Aen. 2. 184 ; of a crime, 'to expiate it,' ' wipe it
out,' ib. 140. Here the idea is ' to avenge : ' ' wipe out the impiety
of leaving the Crassi and their slaughter unavenged.'
11. lumina. Rarely used, as here, of a fire.
12. Ilia, correctly, of a distant, uncertain day : elsewhere, as we
have seen, Propertius uses hie in the same sense.
13. oneratos axes, the reading of the MSS., is perhaps better
PROPERTIUS, III. 4., 5-18. 281
than the conjecture of Muretus (adopted by Palmer), onerato axe.
The car of Caesar laden with spoils would be the central and most
important spectacle of the triumph : to make the poet relegate that
idea to a subordinate clause, and make it his chief wish to see
the horses shying at the plaudits of the mob, seems less natural.
The omission of the copula presents no difficulty.
15. nixus has been objected to, and vinctos, nexos proposed : Bae.
suggests exuvias on the ground that spcctare needs an object. No
criticism could be less sound : spcctare is used technically and
repeatedly for ' being a spectator ' at games. See passage quoted
in critical notes, and especially the well-known line Ov. A. A.
I. 99 (wrongly given as 5. 99 in critical notes)
Spectatum veniunt, veniunt spectentur ut ipsae.
So Spectantem specta A. A. 3. 513.
16. Zncipiam, more than simply ' to begin : ' it implies to
' take in hand,' of some actual undertaking or operation.
et titulis . . . leg'am, a parenthesis ; tela and arcus in 1. 1 7,
and the infinitive sedere in 1. 18, being governed by spectare,
Not only the names of conquered cities, but representations of
them, as well as of striking incidents of the campaign, were carried
along as part of a triumph. Cp. modem trade-processions.
17. ' The breeched soldier ' is of course the Parthian ; as early
as the time of Croesus we hear that the Persians were distinguished
by wearing breeches (Hdt. i. 71), and Aristagoras adduces the
fact to Cleomenes, king of Sparta, as a proof that they could be of no
good in war (id. 5. 49). The Celts also.were known to the Romans
as wearers of breeches ; hence further Gaul was sometimes called
Braccata, Juv. 8. 234. Caecina affected the Gallic dress, wearing
a tartan plaid as well as breeches, bracas barbarum tegmen indutus
Tac. Hist. 2. 20. It is an interesting and instructive circumstance that
the ancient Southron was shocked because the Celt wore trousers,
while the modern Southron affects to be no less shocked because
he dispenses with them. The latter probably forgets that the kilt
was a Roman military dress, worn by the Caesars : see the famous
statue of Augustus in the Braccio Nuovo, referred to above in note
to 2. 10. 13, p. 234.
18. subter goes along with arma. It would seem that in the
triumphal procession captives were made to sit under stacks or
trophies- of arms taken from themselves. Thus Ov. Ep. Pont. 3.
4. 104 in describing a triumph
Stentque super vinctos trunca tropaea viros.
sedere depends upon spectare 1. 15 ; in sense it is
283 NOTES.
almost equivalent to a present participle. Exactly parallel is 3. 6.
11-14
Nee speculum strata vidisti Lygdame lecto ?
Ornabat niveas nullaque gemma manus ?
Ac maestam teneris vestem pendere lacertis?
Scriniaque ad lecti clausa iacere pedes ?
See below 1. 20 cernis. Ingredior ferre 3. I. 3, and ibat videre I. i.
1 2, are quite different ; there the infinitive is equivalent to an accu-
sative of motion towards.
19. tuam prolem, Augustus.
sit in aevum, ' live for ever ! '
20. caput. See note pp. 220, 221.
21. haec, for ilia, after the manner of Propertius.
Sacra Via. The most imposing point in the triumphal proces-
sion was when it descended from the Velia along the Via Sacra to the
forum, with the Capitol full in front. At the far end of the forum,
before the ascent of the Capitol begun, the captives were taken off
into the Tullianum to meet their doom. Thus Horace, selecting
the proudest moment of the triumph, Epod. 7. 7
Intactus aut Britannus ut descenderet
Sacra catenatus via.
22. mi. N. has me. Mi is both better in itself, and contrasts
better with illis 1. 22.
posse sounds weak and hesitating ; but it is strictly in Proper-
tius' manner. See Postgate, Introduction.
HI. 5-
THIS poem is written in close connection with the last. Instead
of offering to share in the perils of the war as Horace before
Actium in Epod. i. r the poet explains why he must stand aside.
He has no thirst for riches ; conquered and conqueror alike will pass
empty-handed into Acheron. Love and Song are his delight : when
old age takes these away, he will scan the Laws of Nature, and
peer into the secrets that lie beyond the grave.
2-4. ' I have indeed my battles ; but they are battles with my
love, and they are not waged for gold or luxury.' The only difficulty is
in tamen, which answers solely to stant praelia, and takes no note
of the mitigating influence of cum domina mea : ' I have indeed my
wars of love ; but I have no care for gold.' Paley quite wrongly
PROPERTIUS, III. 4., 19-22 ; III. 5., 2-6. 283
explains stant as durant, non facile dirimuntur : ' I am compelled
to wage war, yet not from avarice, but frcm differences with Cynthia.'
2. Stant, of battles, means 'are set,' 'are ranged,' implying
instant conflict. See above, 3. 3. 44
Mariano praelia signo Stent :
not dissimilar is stant littore puppes Virg. Aen. 6. 902, 'are
ranged,' ' drawn up.'
3. inviso auro has much the same meaning as Virgil's auri
sacra fames Aen. 7. 57, implying not so much ' hated,' as ' worthy cl
being hated,' ' hateful.' The Augustan writers, especially Cicero, are
fond of using the past participle passive in place of the adjective in
bills. So Vifg. Aen. 5. 591, of the labyrinth,
Falleret indeprensus et irremeabilis error.
4. gemma divite. The allusion here is to drinking-cups and
flagons hollowed out of a single precious stone. Such extravagances
were known even in Cicero's time. Antiochus, a Syrian prince, lays
out his plate before Verres: Erat etiam vas vinarium, ex una
gemma pergrandi, trulla excaziata, manubrio aureo Cic. Verr. 2. 4.
27. In addition there were pocula gemmis distincta clarissimis, i. e.
cups with jewels set in them. Both kinds are probably alluded to
in Juv. 5. 37-9
Ipse capaces
Heliadum crustas et inaequales beryllo
Virro tenet phialas,
the former being cups made of a single piece of amber.
5. Cp. Hor. Epod. i. 27, where he declares he will follow
Maecenas to the war,
Non ut iuvencis illigata pluribus
Aratra nitantur mea.
6. miser, so the MSS. N. also has acre for aera, evidently
mistaking the construction. But Palmer is probably right in read'-
ing misera, to agree with Corinthe. The a at the end of misera
would easily get dropped before the a of aera ; and the sentiment of
miser, explained by Finder to mean ' Nor mean enough to get money
through thy fall,' is indeed by no means a Roman sentiment, or one
possible in an Augustan writer. Even Juvenal, who magnificently
denounces rapacity in the provinces, nowhere rises to the idea that
the governor is morally degraded by spoiling the provincials ; his
highest sentiment is miserere inopum sociorum 8. 89. If miser be
read, the meaning probably is, ' Nor have I, poor wretch ! the luck
to get a Corinth to sack.'
paro is used specially in the sense ' to provide,' whether for
284 NOTES.
oneself or for others. Hence in the former case it frequently means
to 'buy,' as Hor. Sat. 2. 3. 129
Servosve tuos quos aere parasti ;
in the latter, 'to bring in as income,' as Juv. i. 106
Sed quinque tabemae
Quadringenta parant.
The allusion is to the wholesale spoliation of Corinth by L.
Mummius B.C. 146, especially of its art treasures. For aera,
statues, etc., in bronze, cp. Hor. Ep. 1.6. 17
Aeraque et artes Suspice.
7. fingenti, of the potter's art.
pxima terra, the primordial clay (Horace's principi limo
Od. I. 16. 13) out of which Prometheus fashioned man. See
Pausanias 10. 4. 3.
infelix, ' ill-starred in the potter's hand,' not with reference to
the fate of Prometheus, but implying that he had made ' a bad job '
of it.
8. parum caute, a pun on the name Prometheus.
pectoris, like cor, in the sense of our ' head ' or ' brain,' not
' heart ; ' see above note on p. 220. Pectoris is a genitive of descrip-
tion after opus.
9. disponens implies the apportionment of the various parts
of the body, each to its proper place.
in arte, of the product of his art.
10. I. e. ' the path along which the mind has to travel ought
to have been made a straight path.' The words ' right ' and ' rec-
titude ' imply a straight line, which furnished to the ancients their
figure for moral excellence : cp. the famous figure of the Pythagorean
Y (written ^), Pers. 3. 56. To a Roman engineer the first essential
for a high road was that it should be straight ; witness the remains
of Roman roads in this country.
11. Knnc, ' as it is,' ' as matters now are.'
marls after tantum, ' over all these seas.'
14. The MS. reading ad infernas rates is inadmissible on
ground of sense. The only ' conveyance ' of souls was across the
Stygian water; there is no meaning in the plural rates ; and, as
Pinder says, since 1. 13 brings the soul to the bank, 1. 14 must carry
it across.
at is frequently written as ad ; but is not good in sense, as
there is not sufficient contrast between 11. 13 and 14. I would now
adopt Palmer's conjecture in inferna rate as almost demonstrably
correct. First, rate was turned into rates, because 11. 13, 15, 16 all
PROPERTIUS, III. 5., 7-22. 285
end with j; inferno, was changed to infernas, either because rates
had been changed first, or because j follows at the beginning of
stulte ; in was dropped out, as Paley suggests, because it recurs in
inferna ; and lastly, when the omission was discovered, ad, as the
most likely preposition, was inserted.
Nadus. Cp. Job i. 21 Naked came I out of my mother s -womb,
and naked shall I return thither. So i Tim. 6. 7.
15. miscebitur. Misceo here, as usual, means an indiscriminate
mingling, without regard to kind or quantity, in opposition to tempera,
which means ' to mingle in due proportion.' Cp. Haec ita mixta
fuerunt ut temperata nullo fuerint modo Cic. Rep. 2. 23. 42.
16. Console. Jugurtha was captured in the year succeeding
Marius' first consulship, in B.C. 106 : but Marius entered the city in
triumph upon the second day of his second consulship, Jan. 2,
B.C. 104.
17. The Croesus of Lydia is contrasted with Irus, the greedy
beggar of the Odyssey (18. 5, etc.), to represent the extremes of
wealth and poverty.
18. A corrupt line, which no one has succeeded in emending or
interpreting satisfactorily. The MSS. read parta, which is senseless,
or parca. Bae. conjectures carpta, retaining apta before die. Lach.
conjectures parcae, comparing Virg. Aen. 12. 150 Parcarumque dies,
of a natural death ; but the singular in this sense is unexampled.
Other conjectures are tarda, and (equally good) propera. N. has
apta before die ; Hertz, and Lach. read acta, comparing 3. 7. 30,
which is scarcely in point. When H. is reduced to interpreting parca
dies as 'a day which spares the life, i. e. puts off death, as long as
possible,' and Paley as ' a day, or time, of poverty,' it is useless to
consult commentators further. If we read, as in the text, acta quae
venit apta die, we at least have sense : ' That death is best which
comes at its own fit time, when one's day is done.'
21. Me iuvat reminds us of the refrain Hor. Od. I. I. 3 sqq.
Sunt quos . . . iuvat, etc.
coluisse and implicuisse 1. 20, alongside of vincire 1. 21,
show that no distinction can be drawn between the present and
perfect infinitive. Pers. is fond of the same usage ; cp. 2. 66
Haec baccam conchae rasissc, et stringere venas.
vincire. The phrase is borrowed from the idea of chaplets :
see next line.
22. caput habere in rosa. 'To have one's head crowned
with roses,' i. e. 'to carouse.' So Cic. has in rosa potare Fin. 2. 20.
65 ; Sen. in rosa iacere Ep. 36. 9.
286 NOTES.
25. For the whole of the following passage cp. Virg. Geo. 2.
475-486.
26. hanc mnndi domum, ' this fabric of the world.' Domus
means essentially a building, or structure of some kind. As pointed
out above on p. 210, students are constantly led astray in translating
domus by the analogy of our ' home.' Cp. Virg. Aen. 10. i domus
Olympi, Geo. i. 371
Eurique Zephyrique domus,
and Prop. 2. 16. 50
Fulminaque aetheria desiluisse domo,
So Shelley's blue dome of air.
27. deficit, as the contrast with exoriens seems to show, of
the setting moon, not of an eclipse. Gellius however has defuiente
/una of the waning moon, as opposed to crescente ; and that may
well be the meaning here. Lucan has tornu coacto of the full moon,
when the filling in of the orb makes the extremities of the crescent
appear to meet, Phars. i. 532. For coactis cf. Ov. Tr. 4. 4. 35 dam
mensura coacta est. Note how indifferently Prop, uses the indicative
and subjunctive mood throughout this passage.
29. snperant, in its literal meaning, ' get up upon the sea,"
'rise.' So exactly Virg. Aen. n. 514
iugo mperans adventat ad urbem,
1 mounting by the ridge thus reaches the city.'
31. ' Whether a day is coming which,' etc. Lucretius affirms of
the universe that
Una dies dabit exitio, multosque per annos
Sustentata ruet moles et machina mundi.
Several editors read si for sit.
32. Finder points out that the ancients believed that the rain-
bow sucked up water from the earth and gave it back in rain.
33. The Perrhaebi occupied the northern part of Thessaly.
34. 'And the sun's orb mourned with his horses draped in
black,' a grandiloquent phrase for an eclipse.
35. serus versare, 'slow in turning.'
Bootes, 'the Ploughman,' called also Arcturus or Arctophylax,
' the Bear-ward.' The former name was applied to it because it
seems to represent the Ploughman or Waggoner who drives the whole
team round. Hence serus versare.
36. An admirable description of the Pleiades. The stars which
form the group (chorus) are so thickly set (spisso) that they appear
to run together (coif).
37. Cp. Job 38. II Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further,
PROPERTIUS, III. 5., 25-47. 287
and here shall thy proud waves be stayed ; and Psalm 104. 9
Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over, that they turn
not again to cover the earth.
exeat, with an accusative, as in Ov. Met. 10. 52 donee Avernas
Exierit valks.
38. eat, of the progress of the year; just as in 3. i. 8, of the
march of his verse.
39. slut inra deum, either ' whether the gods dispense justice,'
or rather have jurisdiction, hold sway.' See above on 3. 4. 4.
40. Note the rare use of si in an Indirect question. Expectare
si, conari si, etc. are conditional.
41. Alcmaeon slew his mother Eriphyle by his father Amphi-
araus' injunctions : he went mad and was haunted by the Furies.
PhineuSj the blind soothsayer, was punished for savage cruelty to his
sons ; his food was always carried off or fouled by the Harpies.
I. e. whether the tales about Ixion, etc. are true.
44. pauca, to be taken as the predicate, ' are all too few.' Prof.
Palmer would now read pressa for pauca. He thinks pauca arose
from the transcriber's eye catching auc in faucibus in 1. 43 after he
had begun to write pressa, and compares Ov. Met. I. 458 lot iugera
ventre prementem.
45. An ficta fabnla, ' or naught but tales and fancies.' See
2. 34. 53-4. Cp. Fabulae manes Hor. Od. i. 4. 16.
47. Exitus vltae. So Nepos, Eum. 13, for 'the latter end,
closing days, of life.'
III. 7-
A YOUNG friend of the poet, called Paetus, had been drowned in
the course of a voyage to Egypt, whither he was bound on some
trading venture. Assuming therefore that lust for gold was the cause
of his friend's end, Propertius describes with much pathos the circum-
stances of his death, and moralises upon the avarice of man and the
rash daring which it inspires. It is one of the most beautiful of his
pieces, full of an exquisite tender pathos, and showing a high
imaginative capacity, such as is rarely to be found in ancient poetry,
for feeling and interpreting the wilder moods of nature. This poem
would alone be enough to refute the common idea that Propertius
was a mere love poet, whose one and only inspiration was found in
Cynthia. On the contrary, it raises the presumption that Cynthia
did as much to degrade or divert his muse as to create it, and fills
one with regret that he did not devote his genius to nobler themes.
288 NOTES.
1. Ergo, used thus abruptly, implies surprise, almost remon-
stance, at a conclusion forced suddenly upon the speaker, and from
which he feels there is no escape. Thus Hor. Od. i. 24. 5
Ergo Quintilium perpetuus sopor
Urget!
Ovid. Trist. 3. 2. I
Ergo erat in fatis Scythiam quoque visere nostris !
In Hor. Sat. 2. 5. 101 it is an exclamation which bursts from the
disappointed legacy-hunter on the reading of the will :
ergo nunc Dama sodalis
Nusquam est ?
Pecunia is here personified and treated as a Deity. The
Romans worshipped, and erected temples to, a whole multitude of
abstract qualities, such as Fides, Concordia, Honos, Victoria, Juven-
tas, Fama, etc. Juvenal sarcastically observes that, as yet, Money is
not so worshipped :
etsi, funesta Pecunia, templo
Nondum habitas, nullas Nummorum ereximus aras,
Ut colitur Pax atque Fides, Victoria, Virtus,
Quaeque salutato crepitat Concordia nido.
Most MSS. insert es after vitae, N. omits it.
2. The late H. A. J. Munro severely handled a translator of
Gray's elegy for rendering ' the paths of glory ' by honoris iter, de-
claring that the line
Ad tumuli fauces ducit honoris iter
could have no meaning except ' The path of a public office leads to
the gorge of a hillock.' We have seen above on 3. r. 22 that Honor
may be used in an abstract sense, like our Honour or Glory ; the
phrase mortis iter here is a warrant for honoris iter. Immaturum
would certainly be condemned by an ordinary corrector of verses :
the epithet properly belongs to mortis, not to iter. And it is almost
hypercritical to say (with Postgate) that adimus is not appropriate to
iter. Adire mortem or periculum mortis is as good Latin as adire
ad mortem : ' to enter upon the path of death ' is a perfectly natural
expression, and mortis iter is analogous to Phasidos viam i. 20. 1 8
and caeli iter 2.1. 20.
3. This line is very modern in its tone, especially in applying
an epithet like crudelia to pabula. Paley explains the word by OI/M,
i. e. ' causing so much bloodshed.' But the idea of bloodshed is
foreign to the poem : note curarum in the next line.
4. capite is used with reference to the personality of Pecunia.
Capul by itself, no doubt, and in a proper connection, may mean the
PROPERTIUS, m. 7., 1-7. 289
head-water or source of a stream, and caput can doubtless be used in
such a sense, in a proper connection : but to address Money with
' The seeds of care take their rise from your fountain-head ' would be
a little too harsh even for Propertius. Postgate supports this inter-
pretation byfontis caput from 3. 19. 6 ; but the whole line reads
Fluminaque ad fontis sint reditura caput,
which is a perfectly natural expression, involving no harshness or
confusion.
de capite tuo = <& te : see above note on 2. i. 36.
5. tendentem in this phrase has the sense of ' stretching,' not
of direction. The phrase is equivalent to ' in full sail,' implying a
prosperous course : ' all well.'
Fharios portns, i.e. Alexandria. See notes on Tib. I. 3. 32,
Prop. 2. i. 30.
6. insane. Cp. Hor. Od. 3. 4. 30 insanientis Bospori, insana
Caprae sidera id. 3. 7. 6, insani Leonis id. i. 16. 15, and insanis
aquis Ov. Her. i. 6.
terque quaterque. A hyperbolical way of expressing the
terrific nature of the storm : cp. Tib. 3. 3. 26
mihi felicem terque quaterque diem !
So felices ter et amplius Hor. Od. I. 3. 17 and bis terque mutatae
dapis Ep. 5. 33. Possibly here successive waves are meant.
7. excidit has no special reference to shipwreck. The word
simply means ' to fall out of : ' as when Cicero says verbum tibi non
fortuito excidit Phil. 10. 2, ' did not escape you ; ' or of forgetfulness,
at mihi ista exdderant, 'had escaped my memory,' Leg. 2. 18. 46.
Here Paetus is said to have 'fallen out of that which he lost or
from which he disappeared, viz. his life. So above 3. 2. 25 nomen
ab aevo Excidet. Still more curious is Ter. And. 2. 5. 12 uxore ex-
cidit, ' fell out of,' i. e. ' lost the chance of getting,' a wife. (We say,
in a different sense, a manfell ottt with his wife). Aevo is the Abl.
The juxtaposition of nova to longinquis doubles the force of the
idea, each side of the relation being stated separately. The fishes were
distant to him (i. e. to his home) ; he was strange (nova) to the fishes.
The principle is the same as that involved in such juxtapositions as
Hor. Epod. i. 21 ut adsit . . . praesentibus, Plaut. Most. i. I. 27
Adsum praesens praesenti tibi,
Hor. Sat. 2. 6. 81
fertur
Accepisse cavo veterem vetus hospes amicum ;
or more subtly, Od. 2. 4. 6, where captivae and dominum repeat the
same idea,
U
290 NOTES.
Movit Aiaeem Telamone natum
Forma captivae dominum Tecmessae.
8. natat. The verb natare, though applied to the natural
swimming of men, fish, or other animals, is scarcely ever used of the
natural floating of ships. It constantly denotes wreckage of some
sort, as 4. I. 116
Et natat exwuiis Graecia pressa SHI'S.
So Ithacum lugere not ante m Juv. 10. 257 and Prop. 3. 13. 32
Totque hiemis nodes totque natasse dies,
in both of which passages the idea is that Ulysses was floundering
about, with nothing but his swimming powers to trust to. Even of
a ship in harbour the word denotes a wreck in Prop. 2. 25. 24
Cum saepe in portu fracta carina natet.
Metaphorically, the word is always used in malam partem ; as of
inundations, of eyes swimming in death or drunkenness, of a wavering
mind, Hor. Sat. 2. 7. 6, of an ill-fitting shoe Ov. A. A. i. 516, where
it is joined with vagus, a word of kindred meaning. To the Roman
mind, whatever departed from the steady, the solid, the strong, the
straight, was bad.
9. iusta debita, the offices due to the dead, especially that of
sprinkling earth over the corpse, Hor. Od. I. 28. 24.
terrae here is ' the body,' properly ' the remains when buried
in 'earth,' as in 2. 13. 42
Non nihil ad verum conscia terra sapit,
The epithet piae is transferred to the remains, as all the offices to
the dead have the character of pietas. Postgate's reference to pien-
tissimus on an inscription is scarcely in point. To take terrae with
Paley as a genitive is possible, but inelegant : besides, it is obviously
to be supplied as the object to humare in the next line.
10. pote stands for potis feminine, agreeing with mater. Potts
mA.pote are used of all genders, and with both numbers, indifferently.
Cp. a. i. 46
Qua pote quisque, in ea conterat arte diem.
12. In illustration of this magnificent line one of the finest in
all ancient poetry Postgate quotes an epigram from Glaucus (Gk.
Anth. 7. 235), in which it is said, as here, of a drowned man, iraaa
OaXaaaa. raif>os. These words, he suggests, may be an echo of the
famous words of Pericles, Thuc. 2. 43, avftpGiv yap tintyavSjv iraaa yij
ra<pot. But no two phrases, similar as they are in meaning, could be
more utterly different in sentiment. Pericles meant ' Every land is a
monument to our mighty dead.' Propertius means ' His mother has
no spot to look to as holding the remains of her dear lost one but
PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 8-18. 291
the wide blank sea.' L. 1 2 conveys powerfully the idea of restless,
homeless desolation.
13. Infelix, in reference to the result : ' disastrous,' ' causing
misery.'
timor, ' dreaded by : ' as we say, ' the terror of.' The regular
construction would be the dative of the complement, a construction
which is used in Latin to avoid the awkwardness or untruth fulness of
predicating an abstract quality of a concrete noun.
Orithyia, daughter of Erechtheus, was carried off by Boreas to
Thrace, having unwarily strayed beyond the Ilissus.
14. spolia, with reference to raptae, 1. 13.
16. I.e. the disaster was not deserved by the wickedness of
those on board. For 11. 13-16 compare Lycidas:
He ask'd the waves, and asKd the felon winds,
What hard mishap hath doomd this gentle swain ?
And questioned every gust of rugged -wings
That blows from off each beaked promontory :
They knew not of his story ;
And sage Hippotades their answer brings,
That not a blast was from his dungeon strayed ;
The air was calm, and on the level brine
Sleek Panope with all her sisters play'd.
It was that fatal and perfidious bark,
Built in the eclipse, and riggd with curses dark,
That sunk so low that sacred head of thine.
17. numeras would be more appropriate with annos. Nume-
rare pecus, tempus, etc., quoted by Postgate, are less strange, asfecus
and tempus consist essentially of parts which may be counted.
18. in ore tibi est. Cp. in ore est omni poptilo Ter. Ad. i. 2. 13,
habere aliquid in ore Cic. Att. 14. 22. 2, ' to be always talking of.'
non habet unda deos, most pathetic words : not implying that
there were no gods of the sea, but that the waves which were en-
gulfing him were pitiless. Compare again Lycidas :
Where were ye, Nymphs, when the remorseless deep
Clos'd o'er the head of your lov'd Lycidas?
For neither were ye playing on the steep,
Where your old Bards, the famous Druids, lie,
Nor on the shaggy top of Mona high,
Nor yet where Deva spreads her wizard stream :
Ay me! I fondly dream!
Had ye been there for what could that have done 1 ?
19-20. The ship had been moored for the night to a rocky
U 2
292 NOTES.
shore, or a rocky bottom ; the attaching cable had chafed (detrito)
and parted (cadunf). Nocturnis procellis gives the general condition
of affairs : it may have been the reason for their mooring, as well as
the cause of the disaster. Unable to beat out against the wind,
they would moor off a lee-shore, as their only chance ; but the wind
and sea were too much for the ship, her moorings parted or dragged,
and she was lost. The vinculo anAftme, after the manner of Proper-
tius, refer to the same thing.
19. ad saxa may go either with ligata vincula, 'the cable secured
to rocks,' or with detrito, in which case ligata will agree with saxa,
the rocks being said to be bound instead of the ship, 'the moored rocks,'
standing for ' the rocks to which she was moored.' The latter in-
terpretation involves a confusion, not unnatural, between the saxa to
which the ship was moored and those against which she was dashed :
both formed part of the same rocky shore. Or again, translating
ligata in the same sense, we may take ad saxa with cadunt and the
general sense of ' striking' involved in 1. 20 : ' The cable chafed, her
moorings parted, and she was dashed against the rocks.'
21-24. This passage is notable for Mr. R. Ellis' striking emen-
dation of Mimantis for minantis in 1. 22, and for the original inter-
pretation which he has founded on it, and developed in his Prof.
Dissert., Univ. Coll., London, 1872, now unfortunately out of print.
Mr. Postgate has adopted his reading and interpretation.
21. auras. For cura, applied to love, see above note on 2. 1 2. 4.
Here it is probably ' the beloved object,' as Ov. Am. 3. 9. 32
Altera cura recens, altera primus amor.
For the plural in this sense cp. the use of deliciae, amores, igtus, to
denote a single person, as in Cic. Phil. 6. 5 sed redeo ad amores de-
liciasque nostras L. Antonium. So in Hor. Od. 3. 7. n ignibus
stands for ' Gyges : ' tuis Dicens ignibus uri.
22. Whatever the true reading of this difficult line may be,
there can be no doubt as to the general meaning of the couplet. 'An-
other shore besides this one testifies to the loss of a dearly-beloved
youth.' I have ventured upon a reading which is very slightly removed
from that of the MSS., and which appears to me to fit in better with
the general tone of the passage than any which has been proposed.
The passage is one of intense feeling. It rises in an ascending climax
of grief and piteousness from 1. 5, where Paetus' fate is first stated,
down to 1. 28 : in a tone of agony the poet fills in every circumstance
that can add to the feeling of horror and desolation at such a death.
In the midst of this pathetic description come 11. 21, 22, in which
Propertins compares the fate of Paetus to that of Argynnus, a youth
PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 19-22. 293
beloved by Agamemnon, who also met his death by drowning. The
ancient passages in which the legend is mentioned are quoted by
Mr. Ellis, viz. Plut. Gyrilli 7, Athen. 13. 8, Clemens Alex. Protrept.
ii. 20, Sylburg.,and Steph. Byz. Argynnus. They all connect Argyn-
nus with the mainland of Greece ; in two the Cephissus is named spe-
cially as the river in which he was drowned ; in another the Boeotian
lake Copais is named in connection with the incident. As the Cephis-
sus is out of the question here, Mr. Ellis supposes that Propertius
followed some other legend, which connected the drowning of
Argynnus with some point on the coast of Asia Minor. Out of
several names which might be connected with Argynnus, he selects
the promontory Argennum, exactly opposite to the island of Chios,
and conjectures Mimantis for minantis, showing that in MSS. Mimas
has frequently been corrupted into minas, minax, and similar forms.
Mount Mimas is one of the three mountainous projections into
which the peninsula between Teos (S.) and Clazomenae (N.) spreads
itself out. Mr. Ellis points out that Agamemnon was specially
honoured near Clazomenae (Paus. 7. 5. 6); and there were probably
Agamemnon legends all along the Ionian coast. Assuming therefore
that ' the waters of Mimas ' might be used to denote a point on the
shore near to the promontory of Argennum, he proposes to read either
(a) Quae notat Argynni poena, Mimantis aquae,
making aquae in apposition to litora, and translating ' Shores sig-
nalised by the punishment of Argynnus, the waters of Mimas which
drowned him : ' or else
(b) Qua notat Argynni poena Mimantis aquas.
He prefers the former reading, as involving a slighter change,
and as being more recondite. The authority of Mr. Ellis will doubt-
less commend this reading to future editors : but I venture, with much
diffidence, to think that there are strong reasons against it. For ( i )
there is no legend that Argynnus \\&s punished for anything. (2) The
'waters of Mimas' is a somewhat strange expression to denote a point
on the shore near Mount Mimas. (3) Strictly speaking, the promon-
tory Argennum was not on any part of Mount Mimas at all. It was
on a spur of Mount Corycus, forming the Western spur of the three-
pronged peninsula, while Mimas was the Northern. The passage
quoted by R. Ellis from Strabo gives Mimas its true position, be-
tween Erythrae and Hypocremnus. No great weight perhaps need
be attached to this point, for Mimas was apparently the best-known
name of the three, and Propertius may have had in his mind the
words of Odys. 3. 172
t) virfVfpOf Xtojo, nap f/v(fi6(VTa
294 NOTES.
(4) There is nothing in the words, of themselves, to show that Pro-
pertius meant here to identify the spot where the shipwreck took
place. The Carpathian Sea is mentioned in 1. 1 2, and no doubt the
shipwreck took place in that sea. Now the Carpathian Sea lay
round the island of Carpathus, between Crete and Rhodes; and
though the Carpathian Sea was on the way to Egypt, Mount Mimas
was quite away from that course, nearly 1 50 miles to the north of it.
Mr. Ellis gives various quotations as to the Carpathian Sea, but none
of them prove that the Carpathian Sea extended up the Ionian coast.
(5) The natural meaning of the words is, ' There is a shore too that
testifies of Agamemnon's grief, where Argynnus was drowned.' The
point of the illustration is not the place where the drowning took
place, but the fact that a loved youth was drowned on some shore as
Paetus was drowned. I take therefore the natat of F a , and read
Argynnus for Argynni, Qua natat is as near the reading of NO
as quae notat, and less likely to be substituted for it than vice versa.
Natat will be used in the sense illustrated in the note on 1. 8, of ihe
drowned body, tossed about by the waves, 'floundering,' and so
almost equivalent to ' drowned ; ' the present tense will be partly
used in place of the perfect (as referring to Argynnus^ after the
manner of Propertius (see note on 4. 4. 54), partly to convey the
sense that Paetus is still at the mercy of the waves. To Argynnus
the word poena is applied in much the same sense as in 2. 20. 31
Atque inter Tityi volucres mea poena vagatur,
where poena mea means ' my doomed spirit.' Here, as applied to
Argynnus, it will mean 'the doom,' almost 'the thing punished,'
' the victim,' of the threatening water.
Lastly, the words sunt litora may be used to indicate a spot
known, but not further named. The translation will then be, ' There is
a shore which tells of Agamemnon's grief, where floats Argynnus, victim
of the angry waters.' Thus the attention is never turned away from the
piteous case of Paetus: every word in 1. 22 applies literally to him.
The word poena, removed from Argynni, no longer suggests an offence
on his part, but suggests parenthetically the innocence of Paetus,
falling a victim to the cruel angry watt rs. Minacis would be more
usual perhaps in this sense, but the participle is in the manner of
Propertius. Finder's interpretation, ' Argynni poena aquae = Argynnus
punitus ab aqua,' is extremely harsh.
23, 24. These lines I believe to be interpolated. They seem
to be a dull prosy commentary by some wiseacre who imagined
that the combination of 'Agamemnon,' 'shore,' and 'sea,' must neces-
sarily refer to the much-harped-on detention at Aulis. Fond as
PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 23-28. 295
Propertius is of mythological allusions, he introduces them always
appropriately, so as to heighten, not to interrupt, the feeling of a
passage j this couplet, if genuine, would be almost a solitary in-
stance in Propertius of lines dragged in inappropriately, for the mere
purpose of parading learning, and that in a passage of strong feel-
ing where the blemish is all the more apparent. To enter into geo-
graphical details, to drag in Iphigenia, and the Greek fleet, and
Aulis, painfully interrupts the feeling of the passage, which is con-
centrated on Paetus and the mode of his death. And the legend
knows of no connection between any youth and the delay of the
Greek fleet. Further, as Mr. Postgate points out, it is clear that
these lines refer to the usual version of the tradition, according to
which Argynnus was drowned in the Cephissus. To connect the
delay at Aulis with a drowning near Mount Mimas is more than
awkward it is absurd. Mr. Ellis himself doubts the genuineness
of these lines, and while offering the following paraphrase, acknow-
ledges that the connection is awkwardly indicated : ' Paetus was
wrecked on the coast, which retains the name of the lost Argynnus,
that youth whom Agamemnon vainly sought to discover, and kept
the fleet at Aulis waiting in the hope of doing so a delay which
caused the death of Iphigenia.' Can any one believe Propertius
capable of such an irrelevant and pedantic train of thought in the
middle of such a poem as this ?
25. Beddite, a vague address to the powers, whoever they are,
who control the fate of Paetus' body. Possibly Aquilo and Neptune
(11. 13, 15) are included. Reddo (see note on 2. i. 71) implies not
restoration, but a giving of what is due, natural, or expected. All
kinds of duty therefore are appropriate to the word : here the notion
is that a body is due to the earth, as much as that it is the duty of
friends to bury it. Professor Jebb suggests to me that the words
Reddite, etc. give the key to the whole passage, and that the
word litora 1. 21, with the allusion to the legend of Argynnus, is
introduced to add point to the prayer of 1. 25, that Paetus' body
may at least be buried. ' There is a shore near the shore where
Argynnus was drowned, O waft the body of Paetus to that shore ! '
posita eat. So N. : much more pointed than H.'s posiiaqut.
As Jacob puts it, ' Praedam habetis : corpus reddite?
26. sponte tua, i. e. as we, his friends, are helpless.
vilis, as though he were addressing the nauta of 1. 27, not
the sand itself. So Hor. Od. I. 28. 23.
27. transibit, as in 2. 7. g,=praeteribit.
28. timor, as in 1. 13, for timori.
296 NOTES.
29. Intense feeling is shown by the abrupt way in which the
poet addresses one after another the persons or things which have
contributed to the death of Paetus, without taking time to realise
what they are. Cp. 1. 25; here the builders of ships are apostrophised.
N. has curvae, mistaking rates for a vocative. Curvate is the
clever but unnecessary conjecture of Mr. Peskett and Mr. G. T. Len-
drum. It is much more forcible to identify the curvas rates with
the causas leti. The following line is the commentary.
30. acta, 'of impelling ships. Propertius means that those
who go to sea are rowers in Death's vessel.' Postgate. This surely
is to introduce unnecessarily a foreign idea. The words merely
imply that those who make ships make occasions for death: a
death like that of Paetus is brought on, caused, by human hands ;
acta, apparently in the widest sense, after the analogy of agere
vitam, agere otia, agere opus (3. 5. 8), etc. The harshness of the
phrase is mitigated by the fact that the death was a violent one
' brought on,' almost ' inflicted,' by the hand of man.
31. fuerat. Looking back to the time when this new channel
for death had been devised.
fatis, of a natural death, like Fortunae vias in the next line.
Fortunae miseras vias is generally taken, as by Pinder, 'Chance ways
that lead to misery.' But in fact fortunae vias is exactly = mortis
iter ; miseras is an ' epitheton ornans.' ' The hapless ways of
Fortune ' is equivalent to ' the many sad forms or modes of death.'
See notes on mortis tier sup. 1. 2, and animi via 3. 5. 10.
33. For teneat. tenuere, cp. 2. 10. 14. Propertius was pro-
bably not conscious that he was using the word in slightly different
senses. He uses common words like tenere, agere, via, with great
width of meaning.
34. sua terra. Pinder translates, 'Earth, man's proper element,'
as though the language was that of a hen seeing her duckling brood
take to the water. Sua terra is obviously to be explained by
Penates, 1. 33, of his native country. Postgate quotes Ov. Am. a. 1 1.
30, which is exactly in point.
35. paras. See note on 3. 5. 6. The word is here used ol
ship-building, = facts, aedificas.
36. Consennit, the aoristic perfect, to denote frequency or
habit. Postgate well quotes Cat. 4. 25 nunc recondita Senet quiete.
fallit . . . fidem, 'breaks its word,' the opposite olfidem servare
or praestare. The idea is the same as that in 2. 25. 24
Cum saepe in portu fracta carina natet.
37. insidians. So N. Many edd. have adopted insidias on
PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 29-43. 297
slender authority, a reading weaker in itself. For the idea of sub-
stravit cp. Shelley :
/ see the deep's untrampled floor.
38. snccedat, impersonally : ' that it go well with thee.'
Capfcareus or Capnereus, the S. E. promontory of Euboea,
on which the Greek fleet was wrecked coming home from Troy,
allured by false beacons. Cp. Virg. Aen. n. 260.
39. tri.nmph.ales, in the very moment of their triumph.
40. tracta, another instance (like teneat, acta, etc., above) of
a vague incomplete idea being used in place of a definite one. The
verb traho suggests ruin and disaster ; it is used of the shipwreck
without any special reference to currents or other possible causes
for the mishap.
41. Faullatim, well explained by Postgate of the 'gradual
piecemeal loss' of his companions, by Ulysses. But the word goes
rather with the whole sense of the line than with iacturam specially.
Transkte, ' one by one.'
42. N. has soli : soliti is due to Lipsius, and should be read.
43. Quod si verteret can only mean ' Were he now turning ; '
the imperfect is used rhetorically instead of the pluperfect, for the
sake of vividness. Propertius throws himself back to the time of the
shipwreck, when the action of verteret and viveret might actually
have been going on. Duxisset is necessarily the pluperfect, as it
refers to the choice made when Paetus determined on the voyage.
The peculiarity is that the tense of verteret is determined by viveret
instead of by duxisset. .Had verteret been actually (as it is virtually)
in the apodosis, there would 'have been no difficulty. ' If Paetus
had paid attention to my words, he would now be ploughing his
father's lands and be living in presence of his own Penates.' In i .
1 7. 19-24 Propertius distinguishes accurately between the imperfect
and the pluperfect :
Illic si qua meum sepelissent fata dolorem,
Ultimus et posito staret amore lapis.
Ilia meo caros donasset funere crimes,
Molliter et tenera poneret ossa rosa :
Ilia meum extremo clamasset pulvere nomen,
Ut mihi non ullo pondere terra foret.
Here sepelissent, donasset, clamasset refer to acts done once for
all, and past irrevocably ; staret and poneret to continuing states or
acts, which might have been going on at the moment when the
words were spoken. See note on the passage.
content-as is to be taken with verteret, and to some extent
298 NOTES.
replaces the pluperfect : ' Had he been content to be turning.'
If patrio bove be read, contentus must be taken awd KOIVOV both with
hove and with verteret.
45. dulcis, ' an accepted, welcome guest ;' the meaning being
transferred from the qualities which win favour to the favour with
which they are regarded.
46. Pauper at, like Sera sed 3. 4. 5, ' Though poor, yet.'
flare potest. So Jacob, for the MS. readingyfcn? potest, which
has neither sense nor grammar in its favour. There has been no
question of weeping or trouble, but only of life safe, in contrast to
life lost. From 1. 29 the poet has been harping on one theme, the
dangers of the sea, the safety of the land. Terra parum 1. 31 ; sua
terra 1. 34 ; Ventorum est 1. 35 ; insidians pontum \. 37 ; in mare,
etc. 1. 42 ; contentus verteret 1. 43 ; Penates 1. 45 ; all carry out
the same idea, and prepare us for ' Poor, but on dry land, where no
storm can blow.' Stridorem procellae, 1. 47, catches up the same
theme. Postgate justly says that the rendering ' where blowing has
no power ' is very harsh : I would add, quite unnatural. But when
he adds that ' where nothing can blow ' is not true, he adopts a
standard of truth so strict that it would condemn one-half of the body
of existing poetry, and almost all metaphorical or exaggerated ex-
pressions. He proposes sat est for potest, and interprets ' He was
poor, it was true, but he was on terra firma, where freedom from
misfortune (nil flere ?) is enough food for contentment? Do the words
italicised contain more truth than the statement that land, as con-
trasted with the sea, is ' a place where no wind can blow ? ' And
the very next line tells us that on shore Paetus had not to hear
stridorem procellae. Palmer ingeniously suggests Pauper-, at in
terra nil ubijlere potest ? ' Poor, I grant you : but where on earth is
it possible to find no cause for complaint 1 ' This is harsh : and in
this context terra could only mean ' dry land.' Hous. approves
Baerens' conj. at in terra nil nisi Jlcret opes, 'poor, I grant, but on
dry land his poverty would have been his only grief.'
47. Won tulit . . . audire, 'did not endure to hear," i.e. 'had
not the pain of hearing,' ' had not to hear.' Postgate, to be consistent,
has to translate 'Could not endure to hear,' as though Paetus always
dreaded storms. But if so, why did he go to sea? Further, this
interpretation requires hie to be taken as the pronoun, which seems
not so good.
Mo is emphatic, 'while he was here at home." The lines
47-50 contrast the comfort of home with the terrors and labours of
the deep ; and the point is, not that Paetus was nervous about
PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 45-50. 299
storms, but that he was not conscious either of the comforts he was
enjoying, or of the hardships he was about to face.
49. Thyio. So Hertz. : the MSS. have Chio. 0va or 0via was
the Greek name of the citrus tree (Thuia articulata), to which
the Romans attached extraordinary value for purposes of fur-
niture. Persius speaks of luxurious couches being made of this
wood, i. 53.
thalamo is probably the bed made of citrus wood, though it
might be taken of the chamber itself, furnished or panelled with
that wood.
Oricia terebintho seems either to have suggested, or to have
been copied from, Virg. Aen. 10. 136, of ivory set in a frame,
Inclusum buxo ant Oricia terebintho.
The terebinthus is our turpentine tree. Pliny describes the wood as
pliant, durable, et nigrisplendoris. H. N. 13. 12, and says cups were
turned out of it. He includes both the citrus and the terebinthus
among the woods suitable for veneering purposes, the others being
box, palm, holly, ilex and elder-root (16. 84).
Oricia, from Oricum or Oricus, in Illyria, the port of em-
barkation for Brundusium. See i. 8. 20, where Postgate says it was
' famous for box and turpentine wood.' What is the authority for
this statement? Pliny says that the tree grew to a great size in Syria,
but that there was a small shrubby variety which grew on Mount
Ida in the Troad, and in Macedonia, 13. 12, while in 16. 30 he says
that, like the cedar and larch, it loves the mountains. In all pro-
bability the terebinth was called Orycian, merely because Orycus was
the port of shipping, just as all Eastern wares were called Syrian,
as Sherry derives its name from Xeres, and Hamburg Sherry from
the port of Hamburg.
50. Effultum or Est fulttun, an undoubted correction for
Et fultum. It is hard to choose between the two : but effultus is
twice used by Virgil.
versicolore pluma is difficult. We can scarcely doubt that
cushions, cervicalia, are alluded to, as by Martial 12. 17. 8
Dormit et in pluma purpureoque toro.
But if the cushions are only stuffed with feathers, why versicolore ?
Becker, Gallus p. 288-9, makes out that the plumarii exercised an
art of embroidery with feathers, making ' feather tapestry.' This
may be so : but Mart. 14. 146 applies the terms cervical and pluma
to the same object, and pluma versicolor might well stand for
'a parti-coloured feather-cushion,' pluma denoting the contents,
versicolor the ornamentation of the case. Versicolor, as Postgate
300 NOTES.
points out, properly means ' changing colour,' like our word ' shot '
as applied to silk.
51. Propertius now paints the painful details of the death. The
human nails, which are continuous with, and a modification of, the
scarf skin, will drop off with the scarf skin after two or three days'
immersion in water, especially if the temperature be warm. Post-
gate says Propertius knew this, and imagined the same thing might
happen during life from the mere force of the waves. Paley sup-
poses the meaning to be that Paetus ' could not swim effectively
because his hands were hurt.' It seems simpler to suppose that
what Propertius meant was that the nails were torn off by the violent
dashing of the body by the waves against the rocky bottom. Vivos
is better than vivo, which is weak, and was probably suggested by
huic. See Hor. Sat. i. 10. 7 1 vivos et roderet ungttes.
52. miser iuvisaxn express the horror of the moment ; traxit,
the long deep draught. Miser hiatus = miser hiante ore.
53. improba, one of the most difficult of Latin words to trans-
late. As probus is constantly joined with pudictis, of a slave, to denote
well-regulated, respectful conduct, so improbus almost always im-
plies some form of excess, in a culpable direction, with its correlative,
in a human subject, of effrontery. Thus improbus anser Virg. Geo.
i. 1 19, is ' the greedy goose;' labor improbus id. i . 146, is 'excessive,'
' unceasing labour,' ' that knows no rest ; ' improbus iste Dares
Virg. Aen. 5. 397, 'you braggart ;' improba ventris rabies id. 2. 357,
'ravening hunger' (Mackail translates 'mad malice of hunger,'
quite wrong) ; Improbe AmoriA. 4. 412, of the reckless audacity of
Love (Mackail ' injurious,' wrong again) ; ingenti fruor improboque
somno, ' unconscionable,' Mart. 12. 18. 13; negat improbus Hor. Epp.
i- 7- 63, 'the impudent scoundrel.' The word may often be well
rendered by ' bold.' Here the idea is that night adds a new horror
to the situation, as if it were not terrible enough already. ' Cruel,'
perhaps brings this meaning out better than ' pitiless' (Post.).
54. ut occideret . . . coiere, ' came together to,' ' combined
for,' the loss of Paetus.
55. Flens, in the extremity of his fear. The ancients thought
it natural to weep in moments of danger. An Italian boatman
caught in a squall will resort to tears and the saints for safety,
instead of paying out the sheet. Cp. siccis oculis Hor. Od. I. 3. 18.
See Prop. 2. 27. 7, with Postgate's note.
56. niger, in reference to nox improba 1. 53.
clanderet ora, lit. 'shut his mouth,' to use our own colloquial
expression.
PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 51-64. 301
57-64. This last dying speech affords a striking example of
the artificiality of ancient poetry, and especially of that of the Alex-
andrine school. To a modem ear such a speech, in the mouth of a
drowning man, choked with salt water, would be absurd: but it
must be remembered that speeches were an essential part of the
stock in trade of an ancient writer, whether of history or poetry.
Such speeches are not intended to represent what any actual person
ever said, or was supposed to have said ; they merely sum up, in a
pictorial way, the view of the situation taken by the author, or that
which he supposes to have been taken by a bystander.
57. The gods of the Aegean are the winds : Horace calls Notus
the arbiter Hadriae Od. i . 3. 1 5 and Auster the Dtix inquieti turbidus
Hadriae 3. 3. 5 ; but that is not the same as calling them gods. Nor
does Virg. Aen. i. 52 sqq. assign to Aeolus any dominion over the
sea, but only over the winds and storms.
58. degravat, 'weighs down,' 'sinks.'
59. miseros primae lanuginis annos = /<2 miserum in p. /.
aetate. So nostrum vitam for me 3. n. I. Postgate refers to the
imitation in Ov. Her. 15. 85.
60. long-as manns, of the delicate tapering hands of a boy.
A long hand was admired, Prop. 2. 2. 5.
61. alcyonum scopulis, i.e. 'rocks haunted by halcyons,' and
consequently wild and rugged.
62. fuscina (/urea . ? ) a three- (or four-) pronged spear (rplaiva^,
used by fishermen for spearing fish, and given as an attribute to
Neptune. It was used as a weapon by the gladiator called retiarius,
who first endeavoured to entangle his adversary with his net, and
then attacked him with the fuscina. Cp. Juv. 2. 143 and Horn.
Od. 5. 292.
63. evehat. So the MSS. : ' throw me ashore at ; ' not very
satisfactory. Advehat has been proposed. But Postgate quotes Ov.
Her. 1 8. 197, where Leander, before crossing the Hellespont, says
Optabo tamen ut partes expellar in illas.
Eveho is frequently used of passengers by sea, as Liv. 37. 15 placuit
tamen Regillum classe iota evehi ad portum Ephesi.
64. de me, to be taken closely with hoc : 'this remnant of me,'
' these remains of mine,' ' will be enough, if only,' etc.
With the idea of this line compare Lycidas :
Ay me ! whilst thee the shores, and sounding seas
Wash far away, where'er thy bones are hurled,
Whether beyond the stormy Hebrides,
Where thou perhaps under the whelming tide
302 NOTES.
Visit 'st the bottom of the monstrous world ;
Look homeward, Angel, now, and melt with ruth,
And, O ye dolphins, waft the hapless youth.
65. torta vertiglne flnctns form one idea, torta vertigine
describing the character of \hzfluctus.
Subtrahit, ' sucked him down.'
69. Closely imitated by Ov. E. P. 2. 6. 14
Brachia da lasso potius prendenda natanti,
Nee pigeat mento supposuisse manum.
decuit subponere. The present infinitive is correctly used
in Latin with the perfect of such verbs as decuit, oportuit, etc., where
we say ' you ought to have,' ' you should have,' etc.
70. gravare, ' weigh down,' 'prove too much for.'
71. mea vela. Mea is emphatic: 'thou wilt never see me setting
sail : ' 'see sail of mine.' Postgate.
72. condar. There is no need to take this of his burial : the
idea is simply that of uneventful, unventuresome seclusion, in con-
trast to the hardihood of Paetus.
iners has thus its proper meaning of 'inactive,' as in i. 8. 10.
Cp. Hor. Od. 4. 7. 12 Bruma recurrit iners. When condere refers
to burial, the reference is always made clear by the context.
III. II.
THIS truly magnificent poem presents to us the genius of Propertius
at its best, and is constructed with the greatest artistic skill. It
recalls to us Tennyson's ' Dream of Fair Women,' as it passes in
rapid but majestic review the more famous women of antiquity :
but the effect of the catalogue is strictly subordinated to the main
end of the poem, which is to make the reader feel the immense issues
which were at stake at the battle of Actium, to connect the victor
with the great worthies of ancient Rome, and to proclaim that on
that great day he had constituted himself the Liberator of his country,
both on sea and land. The great shame of the whole campaign to
the Roman mind was that it had been waged with a woman, and that
a woman had been able to place the state in jeopardy ; the poets
are never weary of expatiating on the infamy of seeing Romans en-
slaved to a shameless and luxurious Oriental queen, with her trains
of eunuchs and her mosquito nets. To associate the highest kind of
glory with victory over such an antagonist required no little skill :
it was a scandal that such a foe should have been allowed even to
PROPERTIUS, III. 7., 65-72 ; III. II., 1-2. 303
buckle on her armour, Prop. 4. 6. 22. Even Horace has not escaped
from the difficulty : were the Egyptian queen so corrupt, so effem-
inate and luxurious, where was the great glory of overcoming her?
Antony's great ability could not be recognised : for the cue given
out both by Caesar and Augustus was that Romans had never
triumphed over Romans. Propertius solves the difficulty in his own
way. He exalts the victory of Augustus by exalting first the genius
of woman, and by pointing to the master-minds amongst women
who had showed great masculine powers, and exerted empire over
men. The character of Cleopatra is not spared ; she is painted in the
vilest colours ; but there is the sense all through that she was a great
woman, that she had been strong enough to conceive direct hopes of
adding Rome to her domain, and that she had all but succeeded in
her ambition. He makes us feel that there was indeed cause for trem-
bling at Rome during the time when, as Horace puts it Od. i. 37. 6-8
Capitolio
Regina dementes ruinas
Funus et imperio parabat.
All this is naturally introduced, as from the poet's own experiences :
he begins simply, in his usual strain, justifying his devotion to Cyn-
thia : his enslavement to her (cp. 1. 2 addictum sub sua iura virum
to Horace's" emancipatus feminae) is typified and justified by the en-
slavement of men to Medea, to Omphale, to Semiramis, and the ail-but
enslavement of the Roman world to Cleopatra. The subject grows
naturally out of his own life and feeling : and the panegyric on
Augustus is thus introduced more naturally, and with far more power,
than in the more elaborate and official description of Actium in 4. 6.
1. versat. The frequentative form of the verb makes it appro-
priate for expressing violence and passion. Thus in Virg. Aen. 7.
336 Juno declares that Alecto the Fury has power odiis versare
domes ('to overturn,' Mackail, but it is rather equivalent to turbare).
Cp. Liv. 2. 45. 5 nunc pudor nunc indignatio versare pec tor a ;
Prop. 3. 17. 12
Spesque timorque animum versat utroque toro.
meam vitam. A Propertian periphrase for me.
2. addictnm, ' made over.' Addicere is said of the judge who
formally makes over any thing or person to a claimant. Addictus
is thus specially used of a debtor handed over as bondsman to his
creditor. Horace has the same idea in a similar connection of Anto-
nius, Emancipatus feminae Epod. 9. 12. So of himself as a free
lance in philosophy, Epp. I. I. 14
Nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri.
304 NOTES.
3. Crimina ignavi capitis, ' a charge of cowardice.' Capitis
is used as above, 2. i. 36, where see note. The neighbourhood of
addictum and crimen is intended doubtless to suggest also the
technical meaning of the terms.
4. nequeam, the subjunctive, as constituting the crimen. The
figure in this line is changed to that of an animal under the yoke.
5. Venturam . . . mortem is the MS. reading. Hertz, adopts
noctem in the sense of 'storm,' quoting no authority. Palmer in his
edition reads iactura, to correspond with vulneribus ; but he now
proposes Venturum . . . motum, and for motum, ' a storm,' compares
Hor. Od. 3. 27. 22, and Prop. 3. 13. 21. See too Virg. Aen. 10. 99
Murmura ventures nautis prodentia ventos. The four lines are an
expansion of the maxim experientia docet : ' the sailor, the soldier,
learn by experience to expect danger: bold as were the words of
my youth, I have a like experience to offer you.' The sentiment is
similar to that of 2. 27. 1 1.
R. Ellis, Journal of Phil. vol. 15. p. 19, ingeniously suggests
that Propertius had in view Find. Nem. 7.17
ffCKpol 5^ (if \\ovra rpiraTov avffiov
epa6ov, ovo' virb KfpSei f)a\ov,
tr<xf>oi corresponding to navita, ' the trained seaman.' But I cannot
believe in his suggested reading molem, which he illustrates by Virg.
Aen. 5. 789 quam molem subito excierit, of the storm got up at
Juno's request.
7. Ista verba, i. e. ' those words which you cast up against me
now.'
9. adamas (dSa^as), iron or steel: used figuratively for the
hardest conceivable substance, Ov. A. A. 1 . 659
lacrimis adamanta movebis.
The word is here used to heighten the sense of the passage, as though
' to break bulls to a yoke of adamant ' implied a more complete sub-
jugation.
10. Cp. Ovid, Her. 12. 95
Arva venenatis pro semine dentibus imples :
Nascitur, et gladios scutaquc miles habet.
homo, a local ablative.
11. Cnstodis, in adjectival apposition to serpentis.
clansit hiatus, again like our colloquial ' shut his mouth.'
12. Aeson was Jason's father.
14. Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons, who dwelt round the
Lacus Maeotis (sea of Azov), came to help the Trojans during the
siege, and was slain by Achilles. Cp. Ov. Her. 21. 117
PROPERTIUS, III. II., 3-18. 305
Non ego constiteram sumpta peltata securi,
Qua/is in Iliaco Penthesilea solo.
15. When Achilles lifted the helmet from her face, he was en-
amoured of her beauty.
cassida, archaic for the more usual form cassis. So Virg. Aen.
II. 775. The helmet 'bared' her face by being taken off. An
elliptical or 'condensed' (Finder) expression, similar to placidi
straverunt aequora venti Virg. Aen. 5. 763 and similar phrases.
Cp. 3. 22. 22 and note.
16. Vicit victorem recalls Hor. Epp. 2. I. 156
Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit.
Candida, for 'beautiful,' seems strange as an epithet of forma ;
but see note on 2. 3. 24. The word is frequently applied to a person
as a whole, or to some part of the body, as brachia 2. 16. 24, colla
3. 17. 29, pes, humeri, cervix, etc., and Ov. Met. I. 743 affords an
exact parallel to the phrase, before us,
De bove nil superest, formae nisi candor, in ilia.
17. All the MSS. read Omphale which involves a hiatus, and a
shortening of the last syllable. Virgil and other poets have this
license not unfrequently, as E. 8. 108, in the first thesis of a dactyl,
Crcdimus ? an qui amant ipsi sibi somnia fingunt ?
But, as Palmer points out, it is very rare in the last syllable of a
dactyl (see Virg. E. 3. 79 vale vale inquit, and Aen. 3. 211 Insulde
lonio), and it is unknown to Propertius ; so he most ingeniously con-
jectures lardanis, 'daughter of Jardanus,' a name by which Omphale
is designated by Ovid, Her. 9. 103. He points out that in no less than
ten instances Propertius designates female characters by their patro-
nymics ; thus Helen is called Tyndaris, Penelope Icariotis, Niobe
Tantalis and so on. Omphale would thus be a natural gloss, im-
ported into the text. Further he points out that the scribe who
copied Omphale into N. had a rage for lengthening syllables in
proper names, and probably intended Omphale to be scanned Om-
phale. The same hand has elsewhere Antllochi for AntilSchi 2. 13.
49, Arethusa for Arethusa 4. 3. I, while other MSS. have Cdpdnei
for Cap&nn 2. 34. 40. One MS. inserts et after Omphale, but the
word is out of place, an evident interpolation.
tanttuu goes with ut 1. 19.
in tantum formae processit honorexn, a very strained ex-
pression : ' reached such a pitch of beauty.' Honor, as in its tech-
nical political sense of 'a public office,' is here used to denote 'an
external mark, stage, or degree ' of beauty.
18. Omphale was queen of Lydia; Gygueo lacn, a huge
X
306 NOTES.
reservoir which never failed, mentioned as a marvel in connection
with the monument of king Alyattes by Herod, i. 93. To what the
word tincta refers is not known.
19. Columnas, i. e. the Pillars of Hercules, supposed to have
been set up by him at Calpe and Abyla.
20. tarn dura, ' in that hard hand of his.'
The next figure in Propertius' gallery is Semiramis, the fabulous
queen of Nineveh, daughter of a Syrian goddess, and wife of Ninus,
whose favour she won by her skill in taking Bactra. After her hus-
band's death she ruled long alone; conquered many nations, including
Egypt ; built Babylon, with its famous walls of brick ; erected in
Nineveh a monument to her husband a mile high ; and did many
other marvellous things.
21. The terms Persians, Medes, and Parthians, are used in-
differently by the Augustan writers. In Od. 2. 2 Horace speaks of
the Parthians first as Persians, 1. 22, and a few lines further on as
Medes. Cp. Luc. 6. 446 Babylon Persea.
22. ut, consecutive : ' so as to rear,' = ' rearing.'
cocto, of the brick walls of Babylon. Cp. Ov. Met. 4. 58
ubi dicitur altam
Coctilibus muris cinxisse Semiramis urbem.
Paley and Finder both suppose Propertius' meaning to be that
these great works, carried out by women, would never have been
achieved by their husbands alone. There is no indication of any
such comparison in the text. All that Propertius does is to indicate
instances of female greatness.
23. in adversum missi, i. e. ' moving in opposite directions,'
' meeting face to face.'
24. N. and F. have nee ; others ne. If ne be read, it must be
used in a consecutive sense, so that ne = ui non. Paley pronounces
this ' an incorrect usage : ' so also Finder, while Palmer preserves the
nee of N. and adopts mitti, the tempting conjecture of R. Y. Tyrrell
for missi in 1. 23. But all these editors have failed to see the true
construction. Semiramis is the main subject of the whole passage,
down to 1. 26 : statuii in 1. 21 being continued by Duxit, condidit \.
25, and Iussit\. 26. The whole three lines, 2224, are subordinate
to statuit, and ne, 1. 24, is subordinate to ut 1. 22. The whole
passage reads literally thus : ' Semiramis built Babylon in such a
way that she reared walls of brick, and that two chariots facing each
other could not (i. e. needed not to) graze their sides in consequence
of their axles touching.' Ne does not stand for ut non, but only for
non after the preceding ut of consequence. Cp. Cic. Fin. 2. 8 Ex
PROPERTIUS, III. II., 19-24. 307
quo efficitur non tit voluptas ne sit voluptas, sed ut voluptas non sit
sumnium bonum. Here no distinction can be drawn between ut ne
and ut non, each signifying ' so that not.' Our passage is strictly
analogous : statuit urbem ut tolleret opus et ut currus ne possent
stringere latus. This use of ne as = non in consecutive propositions
suggests that ne might similarly be used after ut in final propositions,
in which case ut ne would mean ' in order that not ' and thus be =
ne alone. This supposition at once explains the difficult passage,
Hor. Sat. 2. i. 37, in vain tortured by commentators :
Missus ad hoc pulsis, vetus est ut fama, Sabellis,
Quo ne per vacuum Romano incurreret hostis.
Ne here simply stands for the negative after ut final, and quo ne
is = ne, ' in order that not.' The whole difficulty is thus removed ;
and Palmer's ingenious but unnatural explanation, connecting quo
with vacuum, ' unguarded of whom,' rendered unnecessary. Eentley
quotes the Digest 21. i. 17. 5 in illustration of quo ne: si celandi
causa, quo ne ad domimim reverteretur,fugisset. But the authority
is late, and the interpretation doubtful : Schiitz punctuates si celandi
causa quo, ne ad dominum reverteretur,fugisset. More to the point
is Cic. Fam. 7. 2 praefinisti quo ne pluris emerem. Palmer says of
this passage, ' It is obvious that quo is governed by//m.' True:
but quo contains either a final or consecutive meaning =ut eo, and
therefore ne is used, not non. So exactly in Liv. 34. 6 quoted by
Roby : cautum erat quo ne plus auri et argenti facti, quo ne plus
signati auri et aeris, domi haberemus. Here quo is doubtless governed
by plus ; but quo ne plus is the exact equivalent of ut eo ne plus or
ut ne plus eo, and exactly illustrates the point insisted on. Another
illustration is Hor. Sat. i. i. 40
Nil obstet tibi dum ne sit te ditior alter,
where ne does not mean ''lest,' 'in order that not," but is simply
used for non after dum in the sense of 'provided that,' to which
meaning, as indicating purpose, non would not be appropriate. The
rule might perhaps be formulated in this way : ' After ut, signifying
consequence, ne may be used ; after ut, or any similar conjunction,
denoting purpose, ne must be used, in place of non.' Bohn (trans,
p. 90 note) quotes three cases of ne for ut non in consecutive clauses,
but none of these are consecutive clauses. They are substantival
clauses only. The nee of N. however, combined with Prof. Tyrrell's
milti for mtssi, gives an excellent, if somewhat refined, meaning :
' Could meet on the top, and yet not touch.' See Hous., J. of Phil,
xxi. p. 191.
stringere, 'to graze ' : its proper meaning is 'to grasp tightly,'
X 2
308 NOTES.
e.g. stringereferrum, usually wrongly translated 'to draw.' Stricto
gladio is 'sword in hand. 1 How it came to signify 'just to touch
and no more ' is not clear : perhaps from the idea of pressing or
touching without penetrating. Thus Virg. Aen. 5. 163
Litus ama, et laevas stringat sine palmula cautes ;
and in Ov. Am. 3. 2. 12, of chariots just grazing the meta,
Nunc stringaiti metas interiore rota,
ab, not exactly redundant : it states the causation in a more
emphatic way, or denotes the effect as immediate. Excidet ab
aevo, 3. 2. 25, quoted by Palmer, is different; putris ab aestu, 4.
3. 39, is 'in consequence of the heat.' It is hard however to give
ab any special meaning in 2. 27. n
Solus amans novit quando periturus, et a qua
Morte.
25. In allusion, apparently, to the great dykes attributed to
Semiramis by Herod. I. 184, by which he says the Euphrates, which
formerly inundated the whole plain, was kept within its banks.
Duxit is here used for the making of a new channel, and so 'leading
off' or 'diverting' the wate:s: cp. aquaeductus. Propertius' idea
seems to be that she introduced the water into the city.
26. surgrere. Propertius evidently makes a confusion between
the taking oi Bactra, which Semiramis accomplished, and the founding
of her capital. Bactra, the capital of Bactriana, was known to the
Romans as forming the most distant part of the Parthian empire :
hence they use the name vaguely as synonymous with the extreme
East. So Hor. Od. 3. 29. 28, Virg. Geo. 2. 138, Aen. 8. 688. In all
three passages the city Bactra is used instead of Bactriana, evi-
dently in ignorance. To a Roman mind the Euphrates would at
once suggest the Parthians. There is thus no need to change sur-
gere, with Burmann and Lachmann, into subdere.
27. Sapere in ius is a common expression : in crimine will
mean therefore ' in advancing my impeachment.'
nam, as frequently, gives the reason not for a statement made,
but the reason why the writer makes (or, as here, omits to make) a
statement. 'I pass on from Semiramis for what need to instance
heroes and gods when we have the example of Jupiter himself?
and tell of our latest and greatest scandal.' See Hertzberg's refer-
ences, especially Stat. Silv. 2. i. 210
obeunt noctesque diesque
Astraqtte, nee solidis prodest sua machina terris ;
Nam populos, mortale genus, plebisque cadjicae
Quis fieat interitus ?
PROPERTIUS, III. ii., 25-36. 309
31. coniugis is read by N. and should probably be adopted.
' The price asked of her abandoned husband,' ' the price he had to
pay.' If coniugii be read, it must bear the same meaning, as =
coniugis. The coniugium was not foul to her : the disgrace was not
in her making such a demand, but in his being ready to entertain
it. The idea is exactly the same as that of Floras 4. 11 Haec
mulier Egyptia ab ebrio imperatore pretium libidinum Romanum
imperium petiit. The genitive is a subjective genitive: 'the price
to be paid by the husband.' H. quotes Juv. 12. 62 tempera pro s-
pera vectoris, 'the weather of, i.e enjoyed by, the passenger.'
It is worth noting that the Romans laid no blame on Caesar for
his notorious connection with Cleopatra, which nearly cost him his
life and reputation in the Alexandrine war. This no doubt was
partly because he was Caesar ; but mainly because he did not allow
her to be a disturbing element in his political career. What the
Augustan poets brand as unpardonable in Antony was that he
suffered himself to be estranged from Rome by Egyptian ties, and
attempted to bring the power of the East to bear upon Rome in war.
32. addictos. See above on 1. 2.
33. dolls aptissima tellus. The Romans, like most nations,
believed all foreigners to be more treacherous and untruthful than
themselves. They regarded the Greeks as a nation of liars and
flatterers : perfidia plusquam Punica was a proverb with them. The
Greeks shared their estimate of the Egyptians : Finder quotes Aesch.
Frag. 299
Stivoi it\tKfiv rot fj.t]x<ivas Alyvirrioi.
' Perfide Albion ' affords another example : with us, again, it is a
matter of faith that French, Germans, Italians, Americans all
nations in short with whom we come in contact are less honest and
veracious than ourselves.
34. totiens, referring to the various scenes of violence and
treachery that had been enacted on Egyptian territory the murder
of Pompey, the famous siege of Alexandria when Caesar was in
such eminent peril, and lastly, the scandalous excesses of Antony
and Cleopatra.
35. arena, the Egyptian shore on which Pompey was struck
down on landing by his old centurion Septimius, by order of the
Egyptian king's advisers, on the 2gth Sept. B. c. 48.
tres triuxuphos, i.e. Pompey's three great triumphs: (i) for
his Numidian victories, B.C. 81 ; (2) for his successes in Spain over
Sertorius, B. c. 71 ; (3) for his conquest of Mithridates, B. c. 61.
36. hanc, more Propertiano, for illam.
310 NOTES.
notam, apparently that inflicted by the train of Egyptian disasters.
37. Issent . . . titoi funera, a strange phrase : we have seen
how fond Propertius is of applying ire, via, etc., in various mean-
ings. ' Better hadst thou died.' The idea seems to be res issent
tibi melius si mortuus esses.
Fhlegfra was an ancient name given to Pallene, the most
westerly of the three peninsulas which form the extremity of Chal-
cidice, in which the battle of Zeus with the giants took place. The
term is here used in the loosest way to denote the battle of Phar-
salus, fought in Thessaly.
38. si daturas eras is here = si dedisses.
socero, because Pompey had married Julia, Caesar's daughter,
in B. C. 59 : she unfortunately died B. c. 54.
39. Canopus, mentioned with loathing by Juv. i. 26, 15. 46,
etc., as a sink of iniquity.
40. ' That single stain burnt into or upon the blood of Philip.'
The emphasis is on ttna, which has the force of unica. ' Cleopatra
stands alone or pre-eminent in her character as a stain and scandal to
the house of Philip.' Prop, would not have admitted that she was
a blot on the fair name of Rome : nor does the idea suit the passage.
41. Annbis, an Egyptian god, with a man's form and the head
of a dog. Similarly in Virg. Aen. 8. 698 Cleopatra has Anubis
fighting for her at Actium against Neptune, Venus and Minerva.
42. Note the force and indignation of this line. In a somewhat
different spirit Juvenal indignantly exclaims 3. 62
Jam pridem Syrus in Tiberim defluxit Orontes.
43. The sistrum or rattle was the characteristic implement of
the worship of the Egyptian goddess Isis ; it was also used by the
Egyptians in war in place of the tuba. Thus Virgil, in his grand
description of the battle of Actium, represents Cleopatra as bran-
dishing a sistrum, Aen. 8. 696
Regina in mediis patrio vocat agmina sistro.
44. Baris : a peculiar flat boat much used in Egypt. The
word is used several times by Aesch. of Eastern boats.
liibnrna, the small swift vessels, used by the Illyrian pirates,
which formed the strength of Augustus 1 fleet at Actium, and are
contrasted by Hor. with the huge galleys of Antony, Epod. i. I
Ibis Liburnis inter alta navium,
Amice, propugnacula.
45. conopia, ' mosquito-nets.' The still hardy Romans looked
upon the use of this now indispensable protection as a disgraceful
mark of luxury ; for a similar reason, the first wearers of parasols in
PROPERTIUS, III. II., 37-49- 3 11
this country, not a century ago, were mobbed in the streets. No
less indignant is Horace, Epod. 9. 16
Interque signa turpe militaria
Sol aspicit conopiitm.
Hence our ' canopy.' Kojvoiif/ is ' a gnat.'
46. lura dare, ' to appoint laws/ ' to legislate,' ' rule.' The
statement of this line appears to have been literally true : for Dion
50. 5 says that Cleopatra actually ruv 'Pca^aicov apx*'" t^w'urai, Ttjv
i-e tvxnv TT]V ntfiffTTjv faoTf TI opvvoi TroififfOcu, T*> kv T KairiT(u\iw
Sixdaai. Doubtless Horace refers to this Od. i. 37. 6.
dum Capitolio
Regina dementes ruinas
Funus et imperio parabat.
et statuas inter et arma Marl. Hertz, gravely insists that
statuas must not be connected with Mart, because there were no
statues of men in the Capitol (except those of the kings and of
Brutus) before the time of Caesar. But his history is as much at
fault as his Latin. It would be impossible to separate statuas
from Mart: and, as a matter of fact, the reference is to the noto-
rious and daring exploit of Caesar during his curule aedileship
B.C. 65. Sulla had passed a law forbidding Marius' bust to be
displayed, or any monument to be put up in his honour. Caesar
had already dared (B. c. 68) to violate this law by having the image
of Marius paraded at the funeral of his widow Julia, Caesar's aunt.
He now outraged senatorial Rome, and delighted the mob, by
causing the statues of Marius, with the trophies representing his
Jugurthine and Cimbric triumphs, to be replaced secretly by night
in the Capitol, Suet. Jul. 11 ; Veil. 2. 43 ; Val. Max. 6. 9. 4.
Palmer conjectures dares, with a point of exclamation at
the end of the line. In this case ausa, 1. 41, is a participle, not the
verb, and the whole passage, 39-46, reads as one sentence. But a
long passage of this kind, reserving its one principal verb for eight
lines, is scarcely after the manner of Propertius.
48. sixnili, i. e. ' with a name like itself,' in allusion to the
name Superbus.
49. Si ... fait. Cp. siversat . ..et trahit sup. 11. 1, 2, si daturus
eras 1. 38. Propertius is fond of si with the indicative. In these cases
si loses almost all its hypothetical force. If on the one hand Proper-
tius 'prefers the potential to the actual' (Postgate, Introduction,
p. xl), so on the other he is equally fond of substituting the actual
and the present for the hypothetical and the remote. Translate,
' If, after all, the rule of a woman had to be endured.'
312 NOTES.
50. Augfusto is the dative, going with precare diem. But the
conjunction of the name with salva is intended to indicate that
Augustus was the saviour.
51. timidi. The Nile shrinks now in terror before Augustus,
in contrast to the threats which it uttered before his victory, 1. 42.
vag-a, as already noted, is used frequently in a bad sense. It
may refer here to the many mouths of the Nile, or to its inundations,
when it spreads over country not its own. Vagus has frequently
the sense of irregular action, beyond a thing's proper sphere. Thus
it is used of a mast unstepped (Cat.), of a foot in too big a shoe
(Hor.), of the Tiber beyond his banks, Hor. Od. i. 2. 18.
53. Brachia spectavlt. Prop, thus tolerates a short final
syllable before words beginning with sc, sp, st, sq. So beng sponde-
bant 4. I. 41 ; consuluitque striges 4. 5. 17. For the plural colubris
cp. geminos angues in Virg. Aen. 8. 697.
spectavlt, read by Per., seems here to be the true reading.
Spectavi cannot be satisfactorily explained. It could only refer to
seeing in imagination, or to some representation of Cleopatra.
Possibly, as Pinder suggests, that carried in Augustus' triumph.
54. soporis iter, like mortis iter 3. 7. 2 andfortunae auximus
vias id. 32.
trahere is difficult. It seems to mean 'saw her limbs dragging
along the secret path of death.' In that case trahere iter would be
like rapere, vorare, viam, etc., but denoting slow and painful progress.
55. hoc . . . tanto . . . cive, ablative absolute, or ablative of
circumstance. ' So long as thou possessedst so great a citizen as he.'
cive. Augustus specially studied to be civilis in his behaviour,
and his civile ingenium was especially contrasted with the reserve
and hauteur of Tiberius.
56. et . . . lingua, ' nor yet that tongue,' i.e. her own. Horace
speaks of Cleopatra's excesses Od. I. 37. 14
Mentemque lymphatam Mareotico.
57. toto. N. has toto here, and is probably right. There is
strong evidence that Propertius used the archaic declension of unus,
lotus, nullus, etc. Nullae curae occurs i. 20. 35 in the dative,
and uno in 2. I. 47. It is to be noted that we often find analogies
for Propertius' archaic usages in Plautus, who was, as Professor
Palmer reminds me, Propertius' fellow-countryman.
58. timuit territa, pleonastic.
Marte, ' in war.'
50. Here follows a list of famous Roman exploits, introduced
for the purpose of declaring that they are all thrown into the shade
by Augustus' victory at Actium.
PROPERTIUS, III. II., 50-70. 313
classes. Referring, apparently, to the incredible exertions by
which Scipio had a fleet of sixty vessels built and equipped in
forty-five days from the time of the felling of the timber.
60. Fompeia, used as an adjective for Pompeiana.
Bospore, i. e. the country adjoining the Cimmerian Bosporus
(straits of Kertsch) which Pompey assigned to Pharnaces after the
conquest of Mithridates.
61. monimenta, in allusion to the spot called Locus Curtius
in the forum, which marked the heroic sacrifice of M. Curtius, Liv.
7- 6. 5.
Syphax. A Numidian prince, taken by Masinissa in B. c. 203,
and conveyed by Laelius to Rome to adorn Scipio's triumph.
62. An expressive line. Pyrrhus came over to Italy in the
height of his reputation, being esteemed the greatest warrior of his
time; in spite of his brilliant successes at Heraclea (B.C. 280), at
Asjulum (279), and in Sicily (278-276), he was utterly defeated, and
his fortunes shipwrecked, at Beneventum (275).
64. Palmer unnecessarily adopts Scaliger's conjecture Decius
admisso for the MS. reading At Decius misso. Mittere is frequently
used where speed and strength are implied : cp. mittere vocem, cur-
rum, hastam,fulmina, se ab saxo, etc. The allusion of course is to
the self-devotion of P. Decins Mus in the great battle against the
Latins, B. c. 340. Codes, apparently, gave his name to the street
running up from the bridge which he ' kept so well.'
68. The mingled flattery and blasphemy of this line could
scarce be matched.
69. At the southern extremity of the island of Leucas was a
famous precipitous promontory called Leucas, Leucatas, or Leucate.
On the summit of the cliff stood the temple of the Leucadian Apollo.
There was also a temple of Apollo Actiacus or Actius at Actium,
in Acarnania, at the southern entrance of the Ambracian gulf. Au-
gustus beautified this temple, and instituted games here, in honour
of his victory. Propertius apparently confounds the two places :
for the Apollo at the southern end of Leucadia could not have been
a witness of a battle fought some miles to the north of the northern
extremity of the i>land.
70. Lit. ' so much of the work of war has one day made away
with." The idea seems to be that all previous exploits of war are
destroyed, blotted out, because they will not be deemed worthy of
being remembered in comparison with Caesar's great victory. Pinder
supposes operis belli to refer only to the war against Antony : ' so
much has the day of Actium done for deciding the whole war." But
314 NOTES.
this interpretation weakens the point of the passage, which consists
in the depreciation of all Rome's worthies in comparison to Augustus.
71. portus again shows that Actium is meant.
III. 1 8.
THIS poem is an elegy upon the early death of M. Claudius Mar-
cellus in B. c. 23, rendered so famous by the touching lines of Virgil,
Aen. 6. 861-887, and by the splendid generosity with which Octavia
is said to have rewarded them. In no passage is the delicate and
refined pathos of Virgil more nobly exhibited than in this, as he
brings before us the bearing and the promise of the youthful Marcellus,
the untold loss to Rome from his untimely death, the universal
mourning of the people. The premature death of Marcellus, in his
twentieth year, was the first of the series of family losses which fell
so thickly on Augustus, and which cut off one by one all the hopes
which he had formed as to the succession. Marcellus was own
nephew to Augustus, being the son of his sister Octavia and of the
zealous Pompeian C. Claudius Marcellus, who had done so much
during his consulship in B. c. 50 to hurry on the rupture between
Pompey and Caesar. As early as B. c. 29 Augustus brought the
young Marcellus into public notice; in B.C. 25 he seemed formally
to mark him out as his heir by at once adopting him as his son, and
giving to him his own daughter Julia in marriage, in addition to
other honours. In B.C. 24 he was elected curule aedile ; in B.C. 23
he had performed the duties of that office with great magnifi-
cence when he was struck down by a fatal disease, of which he died
after a short illness at Baiae, under the care of Augustus' favourite
physician, Antonius Musa, who had vainly applied the same hot-
water treatment which he had found so successful before in the case
of Augustus himself. The nature of the illness was unknown : and
as ' Rumour is ever dark when dealing with the deaths of princes,'
we are not surprised to find that there were suspicions of foul play.
The series of catastrophes which cut off all Augustus' natural heirs
built up the fortunes of Livia's family: it was but natural, therefore,
that she should be believed to have plotted the deaths by which the
ambition of her life was gratified (Dion Cass. 53. 33). That the
suspicion attached equally to every case, without regard to evidence,
together with the fact that she retained the love and confidence of
Augustus to the last, is the best proof that the suspicion was in all
cases alike unfounded.
1. alludit, the conjecture of Lambinus for Ittdit of the MSS.,
PROPERTIUS, ill. II., 71 ; III. 1 8., 1-2. 315
must be taken with stagtta 1. 2, as in Cat. 64. 66, where of Ariadne's
clothes, etc.,
Omnia quae toto ddapsa e corpore passim
Ipsius ante pedes fluctus sails alludebant.
Elsewhere the word is used intransitively, or with a cognate accusative,
as in Virg. Aen. 7. 117 Nee plura alludens. Ludere, with the accu-
sative, is only used in the sense ' to mock,' ' to befool.'
Clausus ab umbroso : i. e. ' the sea shut out now from shady
Avernus (by the new breakwater) plays upon the smoking pools of
Baiae.' Postgate supports this interpretation by insula ea sinum ab
alto claudit Liv. 30. 24. 9, where the island is said quite naturally
to ' shut off' a bay from the open sea. So Virg. Aen, i. 160
insula partum
Efficit obiectu laterum, quibus omnis ab alto
Frangitur inque sinus scindit sese unda reduclos.
Here the water itself frangitur ab alto, which seems to mean 'is
broken as it rolls in from the sea.' The Julian Harbour was the great
work of Agrippa, constructed in B. c. 37 with a view to carrying on
the naval war withSextus Pompeius, whose fleet had its head-quarters
opposite in Sicily. The dark and mysterious Lacus Avernus the
haunt of the Cumaean Sibyl was separated by a mile of land from
the Lucrinus Lacus famous for oysters and this again was partly
protected from the outer sea by a narrow reef of rock called via Her-
culis, because laid down by Hercules to spare himself the trouble of
going round the bay. Agrippa dug a canal between the two lakes,
and strengthened the via Herculis into an efficient breakwater, leav-
ing a passage for ships to enter.
pontus is the outer sea, which now alludit, i.e. washes up
through the continuous channel to the quiet waters of the lake within.
Virg. Geo. 2. 161, thus alludes to this great work:
An memorem portus, Lucrinoque addita daustra,
Atque indignatum niagnis stridoribus aeguor,
lulia qua ponto longe sonat unda refuso,
Tyrrhenusque fretis immittitur aestus Avernis?
Pinder explains the MS. reading ludit ' of the quiet sportive
motion of waters protected from winds.' But the sea was not calm
because shut out from Avernus.
2. To make stagna, etc. in apposition to pontus is harsh in the
extreme, and unmeaning. Baiae was situated quite outside the Julian
harbour, and at some distance from it, on the western shore of the
Baianus Sinus. It is clear, however, that fumida stagna refers to
the Lucrine lake. The whole region is volcanic : and fumida refers
31 6 NOTES.
to the mephitic vapours and odours which in ancient as in modern
times sprang up at various points from the shores of both lakes, and
spread themselves over their waters. Hence the tradition embodied
in the name Avernus (aopi/os) that birds could not live in the heavy
air above the lake. Propertius apparently confuses the sulphurous
vapours exhaling from the shorts of the two lakes with the warm
springs of Baiae itself. Cp. Ov. A. A. i. 255
Quid referam Baias, praetextaque litora velis,
t quae de calido sulfure fumat aquam ?
3. Misenus, the trumpeter or pilot (boatswain ?) of Aeneas,
whose fate is described by Virg. Aen. 6. 162-164, and who gave his
name to the promontory south of Baiae which bounds the Bay of
Naples to the north, and is still called Punta di Miseno.
4. sonat, i. e. with the beating of the waves. Some less well
explain it of the sound of horses' hoofs. But the Via Hcrculis was
no more an actual road than the Giant's Causeway. That Causeway
sonat grandly, as all who have visited it know ; but it is not with the
hoofs of horses.
5. mortales nrbes must stand for ' the cities of mortals :' the
idea is more fully expressed by urbes mortalesque turbas Hor. Od. 3.
4. 46, 47.
quaereret, ' was looking out for,' or ' searching through,' with
a view either to conquest or to putting wrong right. Hence dextra,
' by his conquering arm,' or, as Postgate puts it, ' in his conquering
progress.'
6. Thebano deo, because Hercules was both born and wor-
shipped at Thebes. His worship was often conjoined with that of
Bacchus hence the use of cymbalo, and he was specially regarded
as the patron of hot springs. As such he was worshipped both at
Tibur and at Baiae : hence the force of deus hostis 1, 8.
7. At nunc. These words mark the apodosis to the protasis
of the first six lines, in a somewhat irregular and abrupt way. At
conveys a sense of indignation, which is further heightened
by the sentence being thrown into the form of a vehement inter-
rogation. ' This spot so peaceful, so favoured, lies now under a
heinous charge : what unfriendly god has taken possession of its
waters ? '
mag-no cum crlmine. Cum carries the idea of being involved
or implicated in, mixed up with, the charge brought.
8. constitit hostis. Note the emphatic position. 'Has
taken up his position as an enemy.'
9. pressus = 0//ra\r.r, 'laid low,' 'borne down.' Pnmere is
PROPERTIUS, III. 1 8., 3-1 1. 317
used vaguely to express every degree of evil or misfortune, from the
greatest to the slightest, by which a person can be lowered or brought
down. Thus it may mean mere mental depreciation, as in Virg.
Aen. ii. 402 contra premere arma Latini, or, as here, the most over-
whelming of misfortunes. Cf. Ov. Ep. ex Pont. 1.7. 1 1
Nos premet aut bello tellus aut frigore caelum,
and Virg. Aen. 9. 330 Tres iuxta famulos . . . premit, where premit
means ' slays.'
Baiae, in spite of its waters, was deemed an unhealthy place, as
appears from Cic. Epp. Div. 9. 12 Gratulor Satis nostris, siquidem,
ut scribis, salubres repentae factae sunt, nisi forte . . , dum tu odes sunt
oblitae sui. Quod quidem si ita est, minime miror caelum et terras
vim suam, si tibi conveniat, dimittere. Malaria to this day pervades
the district. His perhaps refers to the various adverse circumstances
indicated ; the mephitic vapours, the unhealthiness of Baiae, the
presence of some hostile god in its waters. Palmer takes it dif-
ferently: ' Hie (sc. undis) pressus in Stygias undas vultum demisit.'
vultum demisit in undas. The common interpretation that
Marcellus was drowned in Avernus or the Bay of Baiae, is uncalled
for. Vultum demittere is a euphemistic term for dying, sug-
gested by the mention of Styx : ' sank, or was lowered, to the Stygian
waters.' Such phrases as demittere Oreo Aen. 2. 398, Hor. Od. I.
28. 11, d. neci id. 2. 85, etc., are quite common, and vultum gives
merely a more personal and poetical touch to the same idea. The
idea of drowning may perhaps have been suggested by the beautiful
words in Lycidas, which exactly illustrate vultum demisit in undas,
It -was that fatal and perfidious bark
Built in the eclipse, and rigged -with curses dark,
That sunk so low 'that sacred head of thine !
10. spiritus ille. There is obviously here a double meaning :
the classical sense of spiritus, ' inspiring breath,' and so ' spirit,' is
mingled with the idea suggested by the waters of Avemus, that the
soul of Marcellus floats like a thin vapour on the water. Thus the
passage gives a kind of anticipation of the later use of the word to
signify a ghost. Postgate well compares the idea of ' The Lake of
the Dismal Swamp.'
11. optima. The word optimus, on inscriptions and else-
where, of a father or mother or wife, etc., is a stock term of praise,
not denoting any special qualities, but merely a recognition that the
natural duties of the relationship have been well and duly discharged.
Thus Hor. Sat. i. 4. 105 pater optimus, ' my worthy father.' Hor.
S. 2. i. 12 pater optime, 'Good Sir.' So in the vulgar phrase
31 8 NOTES.
' How is your good lady ? ' Of Octavia, as Postgate observes, the
word could have been used in its highest sense. The nobility of her
character is one of the redeeming features of her age. Used as a
political puppet to further her brother's interests, she endured
patiently all the insults of Antony, and showed a true woman's deyo-
tion in taking charge of his children by Fulvia and Cleopatra, and
bringing them up as tenderly as if they had been her own. She was
truly what Plut. Ant. 31 calls her, XPVP" 1 Gavfiaarov fvvain6<;.
12. amplexum esse, i. e. ' What availed the fact that he had
been admitted to the very hearth of Caesar ? ' alluding to his adoption
by Caesar, which by Roman law admitted him to every right of an
actual son. The term/ocas conveys perhaps more closely than any
other Latin word the ideas suggested by our ' home.'
13. Marcellus, as curule aedile, had celebrated the games with
great magnificence, and both his mother and Augustus himself had
helped him in every way to make the display as imposing as possible,
Dion 53. 28. 31, Plin. N. H. 19. I. The vela are the huge awnings
which were spread across the open spaces of theatres and amphi-
theatres to screen the seats from the sun. On the outside walls of the
Coliseum there are still to be seen the sockets, carved out of solid
stone, into which the poles that supported the awning were fitted.
Lucretius illustrates the origin of thunder from the flapping of the
awning in a wind.
modo is to be taken generally with the whole line. 'The awn-
ing which late we saw fluttering,' etc.
14. omnia g'esta, not ' all the things that were done by,' but
'the fact that all things were done by,' 'the universal agency or help-
fulness of.' Nothing could be more tame than the former rendering.
Postgate supports it by i. 6. 23
Et tibi non umquam nostros puer ille labores
Afferat, et lacrimis omnia nota meis.
But the sense there requires the same rendering as here. ' May Love
never bring you pangs like mine, or a life all known to my tears,' i.e.
' a life like mine, every part of which has been bedewed by tears."
per maternas . . . ffesta mauus is well illustrated by Suet. Oct.
29, who tells how Augustus executed great works in the name of
the members of his family. Of this kind were the Theatre of Mar-
cellus and the Portico of Octavia, whose remains are so picturesquely
interlaced with the Roman buildings of to-day.
15. steterat. Postgate explains this as an instantaneous plu-
perfect : ' Time suddenly stopped for Marcellus in his twentieth
year. I cannot find any exact parallel.' Surely the meaning is not
PROPERTIUS, III. 1 8.. 12-17. 319
that his life was cut short in his twentieth year, but the more
pathetic one that he had just reached his twentieth year, and had
a whole life of hope before him, at the moment of his death. Post-
gate's references scarcely bear out his meaning : ' to stand motionless,'
not 'to come to an end,' is the meaning of stare in stent acre venti Prop.
3. 10. 5, stabant adolescentes Liv. The meaning is rather analogous to
that of ' standing firm,' of a solid work, as ut praeter spent stare muros
viderunt Liv. 38. 5 ; or of a completed work, as Ov. Met. n. 205
Aedificant muros, pacto pro moenibus auro :
Stabat opus ;
or of an enduring work, as in the common phrase stante republica ;
or of a successful work, as Hor. Epp. 2. i . 176
Securus cadat an recto sf-et fabula talo.
So below, line 30, stelit is only a stronger word for fuit. Postgate
quotes Prop. 2. 8. 10
Et Thebae steterunt, altaque Troia full)
but there the meaning seems to be : ' Thebes has stood, Troy
has been,' i. e. ' stands no more, is no more.' The phrase magno
stare pretio, etc., 'to stand one in,' ' to cost,' seems to carry the same
meaning : see below, 1. 30, and Virg. Aen. 10. 494
haud illi stabunt Aeneia, parvo
Hospitia,
or Ov. Fast. 2. 810
Heu quanta regnis nox stetit una tuisl
The event accomplished, the article secured, ' stand firm,' * are
maintained,' at a certain cost, i. e. ' cost so much.' Here the twentieth
year of Marcellus ' had stood its ground,' ' had taken up its position
as an accomplished fact,' 'had been completed.' Thus the pluperfect
has its full natural force.
16. Tot bona, all his personal qualities, as well as all the ex-
ternal advantages of his position.
tarn parvo orbe, i. e. in so short a life.
clausit ' included,' ' comprised,' shutting them off as it were
from the longer term of life which might have been his.
dies, time in the abstract, as Hor. Od. 4. 13. 16.
17. I none. A sudden passionate apostrophe to one who is
supposed to read a different lesson from the facts. So Juv. 10. 166,
after a contemptuous tirade on Hannibal's career,
I demens, et saevas curre per Alpes
Ut pueris placeas et declamatio Jias !
i.e. ' Go forth then, if you still admire Hannibal, and,' etc. So Hor.
Epp. i. 16. 17, and Ov. Her. 9. 105.
320 NOTES.
tecum, i. e. ' in your own mind and heart.'
18. in plausum, with sense of motion : ' rising to cheer,' Post-
gate.
invent, 'be thy delight,' as in Hor. Od. i. i. 4.
19. Attalicas. See note on 2. 13. 22.
snpera, ' outvie,' ' outdo.'
20. Gemmea, in allusion to the costly and extravagant novel-
ties of decoration in which the exhibitors of games vied with one
another in their efforts to obtain popularity. We hear of the scene
of a theatre being overlaid with silver, ivory, or gold ; of the arena
being strewn with vermilion ; of the cord of the podium being twined
with gold, or covered with amber ornaments, etc.
ista, contemptuous. There is no authority or excuse for read-
ing Ttsta.
21. This line is very unsatisfactory as it stands in the MSS.,
Sed tamen hoc. Tamen seems clearly to be wrong : it is weak in
itself, and gives a quite unnecessary emphasis to sed. Hoc appears
in all the MSS. before omnes : if the more easy hue was written by
Propertius, it is inexplicable how the more difficult reading hoc came
to be substituted for it. On this ground Palmer suggests to me that
tamen was introduced in consequence of Sed, and that the true read-
ing is Sed manet hoc omnes. He quotes Hoc quoque te manet, Hor.
Epp. I. 20. 17 (to which may be added the remarkable parallel Hor.
Od. I. 28. 15 sed omnes una manet nox], and especially the following
passage from the Epicedion Drusi, a poem modelled on Propertius :
Fata manent omnes ; omnes expectat avarus
Portitor ; et turbae vix satis una rafts.
Tendimus hue omnes : metam properamus ad unam !
Omnia sub leges mors vocat atra suas
This passage seems to be a distinct echo of the passage before us.
Propertius probably wrote manet ; and tamen, which contains exactly
the same letters, got accidentally substituted for it. But Sed is
as much out of place as tamen, for the poet has already declared that
all wealth, etc., will come to naught, in the emphatic words ignibus
ista dabis. What is needed in 1. 21 is not a contrast, but an ampli-
fication of that theme : 'all will go to the flames : but nevertheless
all ends in death,' is a manifestly absurd connection. If we read
Hoc tamen, hoc omnes all is clear. The repetition of Hoc . . . hoc . . .
hue in one line was too much for the scribe : the corruption tamen
naturally suggested that of Hoc into Sed. The repetition Hoc . . .
hoc . . . hue is quite in the manner of Propertius. Cp. 4. 4. 37
Ille equus, ille meos in castra reponet amores ;
PROPERTIUS, III. 18., 18-26. 321
i. 8.25
licet Autaricis considat in oris
Et licet Hylleis ;
and again i. 8. 37
Quamvis magna daret, quamvis maiora dafurus :
and 2. 31. 15
Deinde inter matrem deus ipse interque sororem.
If we keep sed we may explain it as either ( i ) in reference to omnes :
' why speak of the rich ? Death awaits all, rich and poor alike ; '
or (2) as a repetition and enforcement of the idea contained in
ignibus or dabis : ' you may have all wealth, but all will go to the
flames, but all alike end in death." Hoc has been changed to hue
in consequence of the hue later in the line, otherwise a verb of rest
(agimus or facimus) would have to be supplied with hoc, a verb of
motion with hue, the awkwardness of which was intolerable. The
repetition of sed, 1. 22, is another argument against Win I. 21.
primus et ultimus ordo : i. e. ' highest and lowest ' ; perhaps
in allusion to the fourteen front rows reserved for equites by the law
of Otho.
22. mala, a strong word, expressing abhorrence. Male sit is a
regular form of curse, and we may almost translate here * accursed.'
24. pufolica. There is no distinction of rank or classes among
Charon's passengers : the primus et ultimus ordo, the ' classes ' and
the ' masses,' all huddle together.
25. Ille. He passes from Marcellus and the person whom he
has been addressing, 11. 17-24, to the representative of man in
general. Perhaps ille may bear the sense of ' your famous captain '
(Finder).
ferro refers probably to the coat of mail, greaves, etc. ; aere to
the helmet.
26. protrahit, i. e. drags him out of his protecting armour, as
though he had secured himself in a fortress.
caput, by the series of steps illustrated on 2. i. 36, comes to mean
as here 'the body' rather than 'the life' (Postgate), which is too
abstract an idea for this passage.
With these lines cp. Dunbar, Lament for the Makkaris :
He takes the champion in the stour,
The captain closed in the tour,
The lady in bower full of beauty ;
Timor mortis conturbat me.
Shirley also says,
There is no armour against Fate.
Y
322 NOTES.
Nor can we help recalling the story in the Arabian Nights of the
king who vainly shut up his son in a tower of brass to save him
from his predicted fate.
27. Nirea : alluding to Horn. II. 2. 673
N<petis Sy KO\\tffTos dvrjp vvb 'I\iov ^\0tv.
Cp. Ov. E. P. 4. 13. 15
Tarn mala Thersiten prohibebat forma latere,
Quam pulchra Nireus conspiciendus erat.
29. Me luctus, i. e. distress arising from this same Death, i. e.
Death itself.
30. Atridae, the dative, not the genitive. See the passages
quoted above, 1. 15.
alter amor, his second love. His wife, Clytemnestra, was his first.
31. If the MS. reading traicis is right, then Bae. is probably
right in supposing that some lines have dropped out here. Paley's
conjecture traicit, adopted by Palmer, gives good sense, though the
emphasis of the line makes it hard to believe that tibi and nauta
refer to different persons. Traicit will bear its transitive meaning,
' who causes to pass over ' or ' ferries across.'
32. animae corpus inane tuae may be either ' the body
empty of thy spirit,' as Ov. Met. 2. 611
Corpus inane animae frigus letale secuta est,
or, ' the empty body of thy spirit,' i. e. ' consisting of thy spirit,' as
though body and spirit were confused into one idea.
Palmer reads hoc, to correspond with qua 1. 33 : ' by this same
road by which.'
33. qua . . . qua. So the MSS. But quo seems supported by
hue (1. 32), and would give a better sense, explained by in astra 1. 34.
Siculae victor, the celebrated M. Claudius Marcellus, who
conducted the great siege of Syracuse, B.C. 212. Archimedes con-
ducted the defence, and was slain upon its capture.
Postgate observes that here, as in 4. 7. 57, Propertius supposes
there were two boats. This is somewhat inconsistent with publica
eymba 1. 24, and is not absolutely necessary, as we may imagine
Charon landing part of his freight at one point, part at another.
34. ab humana via. These words are difficult. They seem
to support the reading hoc 1. 32 and the MS. reading tuae. ' May
Charon carry thy spirit alonsj that path by which Claudius and
Caesar rose to the stars from the path of men.' For Prop.'s vague
use of via, see i. 2. 12, 2. 25.46. Postgate well translates 'the ways'
or ' haunts of men ' : probably Propertius was scarcely conscious
that he was using the word in a double sense.
PROPERTIUS, III. 18., 27-34; III. 22. 323
cessit in astra. Cp. Hor. Od. 4. 2. 23 of Pindar
zwVw animumque moresqut
Aureos educit in astra, nigroque
Invidet Oreo.
III. 22.
THIS poem may be read in conjunction with 1.6. They are both
addressed to the poet's friend, Tullus, who, at the time of the
writing of that poem, was setting out for Asia in the suite of an
uncle, and had apparently asked Propertius to accompany him.
The poet declined the invitation, declaring that he had no taste for
war, and that he would rather stay at home to enjoy Cynthia's love
than see all the sights of the East. The uncle is generally supposed
to have been L. Volcatius Tullus, who was consul along with
Augustus in B. c. 33, and was son of the L. Volcatius Tullus, consul
B.C. 66, best known as furnishing a date to Horace's wine-jar, Od.
3. 8. i 2
Amphorae fumum bibere institutae
Consule Tullo.
Volcatius was setting out for his provincial command in Asia when
I. 6 was written, and the poet had the opportunity of joining his
suite as Tibullus joined that of Messala, and Catullus that of
Memmius. How much Propertius lost by the refusal may be
measured by what we have gained from the charm and interest
thrown into the lives and writings of his fellow- poets by their travels
in the East. In the present poem, Propertius complains that his
friend has stayed away too long, and assures him that whatever marvels
there may be in the East, there is, after all, no country like Italy,
which contains within herself all the charms and wonders of all
other countries. Closely parallel are Hor. Od. i. 7 and the well-
known praises of Italy in Virg. Geo 2. [36-176. As to the date of
this poem, we find from 1. 1 that Tullus has for many years (multos
annos] had Cyzicus as his headquarters. When did he go out?
Volcatius was consul in B. c. 33, and, according to the rule estab-
lished by the Senate in B.C. 52, no consul or praetor could enter
upon his provincial command until five years had elapsed from his
tenure of office in the city. If this rule was observed, we may
suppose that Volcatius did not go to Asia until B.C. 27. That
would fix the date of i . 6 : and this piece must have been written
some years (rnultos annos] afterwards.
y 2
324 NOTES.
1. Cyzicus, in the Propontis, or Sea of Marmora, was originally
an island. Strabo speaks of its being connected with the mainland
by two bridges : and Plin. N. H. 5. 40. 2 says it was joined to the
mainland by Alexander. At the present day, the connection is
formed by a low narrow sandy isthmus about a mile long.
2. fluit Isthmos, therefore, probably refers to the unsubstantial
character of the connection : ' where floats our Isthmus.' Finder
suggests that fluit may stand for praefluit, the Isthmus being said
'to flow with the waters ' that pass it. So in Virg. Aen. 9. 105 the
banks of the Styx are described as torrentes pice. It is possible that
Prop, uses Isthmus for the channel dividing the island or peninsula
from the shore, in which case fluit would be quite regular. See
below 22. 28.
3. A much-vexed line. The MSS. read Dindymus and iuvenfa
(inventa N.), whilst Cybele is variously written. Vossius con-
jectures invenca, which is supported on the ground that a cow
frequently appears on the coins of Cyzicus. From the similarities
existing between Cybele, Isis, lo (who gave her name to the adjoin-
ing Bosphorus), it is supposed that Cybele may have been wor-
shipped at Cyzicus under the form of a cow. There was a Mount
Dindymon, or Dindyma, at Cyzicus (Strabo 12. 8. n) of the same
name as the more famous mountain near Pessinus, the chief seat of
Cybele's worship in Phrygia, from which she derived the name
Dindymene Hor. Od. i. 16. 5. If we read Dindymus, the moun-
tain itself will be intended ; the construction must be either qua
Dindymus est, or else placuit must be supplied from 1. i . Either
construction is harsh ; whence Palmer reads Dindymis, a similar
epithet to Horace's Dindymene. Dindymis, however, might also
stand for the town, as we learn from Plin. N. H. 5. 40. 2, who says
that Cyzicus was also called Dindymis, cuius a vSrtice mons Dindy-
mus. He further adopts what he terms the palmaris emendatio ot
Haupt, sacra fab ricata e vite Cybele, on the strength of two passages,
Apoll. Rhod. i. 1117 and Strabo 12. 8. II. Strabo speaks of a
temple of Cybele on Mount Dindymon above Cyzicus, founded by
the Argonauts ; and Apollonius describes how Argus made a statue
of the goddess out of an old vine-stock, and set it upon a hill.
If Cybelae be read, it must be the dative, in honour of the goddess.
4. The tradition that Proserpine was carried off by Pluto at or
near Cyzicvis is only known from this passage, and supported by a
single line quoted by Hertz, from the Latin Anthology.
qua. So the MSS.; but with that reading the interposition ot
1. 3 between the qua of 1. 2 and that of 1. 4 is very harsh. It is to
PROPERTIUS, III. 22., 1-9. 325
be noted that N. reads quae in 1. 2, where it is clearly out of place :
hence probably the mistake.
via. Cp. 3. 1 8. 34 and note.
5. Si. The whole passage down to 1. 17 forms the protasis:
4 If you care for the sights of travel, and it is that taste which keeps
you away from your friends, know that in all things Italy surpasses
all other countries.' Some have supposed from the somewhat wild
concatenation of persons and places brought together in the follow-
ing lines, that Propertius referred to statues or other representations to
be seen at Cyzicus. But this idea spoils the sense. The mixture of
mythology and geography, without regard to the relative position
of the places, is quite after the manner of Propertius, and we need
not expect to find him mentioning persons or places in guide-book
order.
Helles. Helle, the daughter of Athamas, gave her name to
the Hellespont into which she fell.
6. movere. Moveo and commoveo are the special words used
to denote strong feeling of any kind, both in prose and poetry.
Animo commoveor, etc., is a frequent phrase in Cicero.
7. 8. I. e. ' whether you go to see Mount Atlas and the islands
called the Gorgades.' Pliny mentions these islands as five days' sail
to the west of Mount Atlas, and opposite the point Hesperian, the
western promontory of Africa. Here the Gorgons lived : Hanno,
adds Pliny, carried off two of their hides (cutes) to Carthage.
Fhorcidos, i. e. of Medusa, daughter of Phorcus.
9. Geryonis, genitive of Geryon or Geryones, is probably the
true reading, preserved as Girionis in N. : the common reading,
Geryonae, would be the genitive of Geryones, as Pelidae of Pelides,
geometrae ofgeometres, etc.
signs, are no doubt the signs of the struggle supposed to be
preserved on the spot. Of similar nature was the hoof-print left by
the horses of the Dioscuri on the shores of Lake Regillus, and the
mark left by St. Peter's head in the wall of the Mamertine prison.
The palace of Antaeus, the scene of his conflict with Hercules, and
the gardens of the Hesperides. were placed at Lixus, a colony planted
by Claudius in Tingitana or Tangiers, Plin. 5. i ; while the island of
Erytheia, on which Geryon fed the cattle carried off by Hercules,
was identified with the island (now Isle de Leon), or islands, on
which the Phoenicians placed their famous colony of Gades, re-
garded by Greeks and Romans alike as the westernmost limit of the
world. Hence Hor. Od. 2. 6. i
Septimi Cades aditure mecum, etc.
326 NOTES.
10. Note the unusual and rough elision of que at the end of
the first penthemimer of the pentameter verse.
11. From the extreme west he passes to the extreme east of
the Roman world, the banks of the Phasis in Colchis.
propellas, which should apply to the vessel, is here used by a
Propertian inversion of the water through which the oars sweep, pos-
sibly with the idea that the water is itself put in motion by the stroke.
remige. The oarsman is regarded as a mere instrument : hence
the preposition is omitted. This use of the ablative is near akin to
the ablative absolute. See Munro quoted by Mayor on Juv. I. 13.
12. Feliacae trabis iter, i.e. the whole voyage performed by
the Argo, here called the ' Peliac ship,' because Jason, the rightful
heir, was despatched from lolcus to fetch the golden fleece by his
uncle Pelias.
13. rndls may either mean the ship ' which was late an un-
shapen trunk,' like Cat. 4. 10
Ubi ille post phasdus antea fuit
Comata silva ;
or ' inexperienced,' as going on her first voyage ; so Propertius says
of himself 3. 21. 17
Ergo ego nunc rudis Hadriaci vehar aequoris hospes.
This seems supported by 1. 14. Or it may denote the rough un-
shapen character of this first essay in ship-building. Cp. rudis Argus
2. 26. 39, if rudis, not rafts, be read.
natat. The same use of present for perfect that has been
noticed elsewhere in Propertius: see 2. 7. 2, 3. 7. 22, 4. I. 77, 121,
and 4. 2. 3, etc.
Arg-oa . . . colnmba. A similar use of the ablative to remige
1. 12. The seer Phineus advised the Argonauts to let loose a dove
before venturing through the Symplegades ; the dove flew through
with the loss only of the tip of her tail. Following this example,
they sailed at full speed between the rocks, and escaped with a slight
injury to the stern, Apoll. Rhod. 2. 562. Cp. 2. 2f>. 39
Et qui movistis duo litora, cum raits Argo
Dux erat ignoto missa columba mart.
15. A corrupt line. N. reads Et si qua origae, Vossius con-
jectures Ortygii, which Lachmann changed into Ortygiae, referring
in either case to an old name Ortygia given to Ephesus, probably
from 6prv, because the coast abounded in quails. Scaliger has
Et si quadrigae, understanding by quadriga the four cities of Ephesus,
Smyrna, Colophon, and Miletus. Swans abound in the Cayster,
Claud. Ep. 2. 12: hence oloriferi in Italian editions, and cygnaei.
PROPERTIUS, III. 22., 10-23. 327
Palmer's conjecture Etsi quoi rigui is commended by the inge-
nuity of his explanation : ' the ui of rigui was dropped before the
ui of visenda, and the scribe built up the remaining rig into origae?
But what did the scribe take origae to mean ? Further, to bring in
travellers in general (si quoi) is scarcely in harmony with the spirit
of the passage which is addressed to Tullus alone (tu . . . tuque
tuo . . . ipse legos).
16. One editor imagines the Rhesus in the Troad to be intended ;
another the Ganges! But the seven-mouthed river can be none
other than the Nile ; cp. Cat. 11.7
Sive quae septemge minus color at
Aequora Nilus,
andOv. Met. 15. 753
Perque papyriferi septemflua flumina Nili.
Temperare means to ' mix in due proportion,' hence ' to mode-
rate.' Propertius here means that the force or volume of the water is
lessened by being divided into seven channels : he expresses this by
saying ' the water moderates its seven channels.' Cp. Virg. Geo.
i. no, of water scatebrisque arentia temperat arva, i.e. 'moderates
the dryness of the fields.' Closely parallel is temperat ira manus
1. 22. There is no ' mixing' in the case, as Hertz, supposes : Nilus
denuo semper per vias suas effunditur, novasqiie aquas prioribus
add.it, et has suis miscet.
17. ' Will yield to the Roman land,' i. e. ' to the marvels of the
Roman land.' So Juv. 3. 74 sermo Promptus et Isaeo torrentior,\}\&\o.
' more rushing than Isaeus ' = ' than the eloquence of Isaeus.'
18. Imitated by Ov. A. A. i. 56.
19. As Pinder observes, the best commentary on these lines is
Virg. Aen. 6. 854
Parcere devictis et debellare superbos.
But it is clear from 11. 27-38 that the words commoda noxae refer to
more than Roman mercy. Propertius had the passage in Geo. 2
closely in view : the genial temperate climate, free from extremes,
the absence of noxious beasts, fierce animals, serpents, monsters, and
monstrous crimes, are all referred to in declaring Italy to be not
commoda noxae.
22. Stamus. See note on 3. 18. 15.
temperat. Just as in 1. 16, the river itself, which supplies the
force of water, is said to moderate its courses, so here the rage which
nerves the arm is said to moderate it when it declines to put forth
its full strength.
23. Tiburne, adjective, ' belonging to Tibur,' through which
328 NOTES.
town is the most beautiful part of the Anio's course, with its cele-
brated cascade.
24. traxnes is properly ' a side-path,' ' a cross-road ' : hence
possibly ' untrodden ways.' Sellar (Augustan Poets, p. 273 n.) thinks
the word may = o/)o?, 'a hill-side.' So 3. 13. 44
Et si forte nieo tramite quaeris avem.
Marcius hnmor. See note on 3. 2. 12. The lakes of Alba
and Nemi are still among the most exquisite scenes in the neighbour-
hood of Rome, and are combined in a single excursion. That of
Alba fills the deep basin of an extinct volcano, and finds issue
through the artificial emissarium first built during the war with
Veii some 400 feet below the lowest point of its encircling
banks. The lake of Nemi, bosomed deep in trees, and less formid-
able in appearance, also fills an ancient crater, and is drained
similarly by a tunnel into the Valle Ariccia, through which the
water passes into the sea near the ancient Ardea. The Alban waters,
on the other hand, drain into a stream which falls into the Tiber a
few miles below Rome. There is no connection between the waters
of the two lakes, but Propertius might well speak of ' the allied waters
of Nemi,' from the nearness and similar character of the two basins.
But Hous. reads fotits Nemorensis abundans, J. of Phil. xxi. p. 176.
26. In allusion to the well luturna in the Forum, near the
temple of Vesta, at which Castor and Pollux watered their horses
after their hot ride from Regillus.
27. cerastae, serpents with horns or feelers projecting from the
head. Pliny asserts they buried therrfselves in the sand and attracted
birds by the motion of their horns : a fable rejected by Cuvier, who
admits otherwise the correctness of Pliny's description 8. 35. i.
29. pro matre, 'to atone for her mother's crime.' Cassiopeia,
the mother of Andromeda, had boasted that her daughter's beauty
eclipsed that of the Nereids. In revenge, the Nereids induced
Poseidon to send the sea-monster to ravage the land : the oracle of
Ammon advised that Andromeda should be given up to him. Hence
she was chained to a rock, and delivered by Perseus.
30. I. e. ' In Italy thou hast no unnatural banquets, like those
of Thyestes, to shudder at.'
31. When Meleager was an infant, the fates had prophesied that
he would die as soon as a log then burning on the hearth should be
burnt out. His mother, Althaea, hid it away : but enraged at
Meleager's slaying her brothers, she took it out and kindled it,
and Meleager died.
arserunt in caput, ' blazed to the destruction of.'
PROPERTIUS, III. 22., 24-42 ; IV. 3. 329
33. I r e. ' Here there are no frantic Bacchanalian orgies.' Pen-
thens, king of Thebes, being opposed to the worship of Dionysus,
was hunted as a wild beast by his mother Agave, and two Maenads,
and torn in pieces. Pentheus had climbed into a tree for the pur-
pose of spying out their secrets.
34. I. e. ' Here no Iphigenia was ever sacrificed.'
35. lo was turned by the jealous Juno into a cow.
cornua curvare, ' to cause crumpled horns to grow.' This
phrase supports the conjecture of curvate in 3. 7. 29.
36. bove, i. e. ' the form of a cow.'
37. Sinis of Corinth ' made trees into gibbets,' by fastening his
victims to the tops of two pine-trees bent together, and then letting
them spring apart.
37, 38. The accusatives of this couplet are governed by some
verbal idea to be supplied from the previous passage.
38. Saxa, supposed to be the Scironian rocks, on the coast of
Megaris, where there was only a narrow path left between the rocks
and the sea. But as in suafata refers again to Sinis, who was hoist
on his own petard by Theseus, saxa may refer to his abode.
40. honos, the career of public office.
41. ad eloquium, i. e. on whom to exercise your eloquence.
42. aptus. Here used for ' suitable,' ' proper.' This use con-
firms the reading apta 3. 5. 18, where there is the same confusion as
here in the MSS. between apta and acta. We see from this line that
Tullus was not yet married.
IV. 3.
THIS piece is in the style of the Heroides of Ovid. It is an
imaginary letter written by a young wife from Rome to her husband,
who has been absent for four years on a campaign with Augustus in
the East. The names Arethusa and Lycotas are poetical and fic-
titious : but it has been supposed that they are intended to designate
Propertius' friend Postumus and his wife Aelia Galla. For this
there is no further evidence than that afforded by the charming poem
3. 12, in which Propertius writes a somewhat similar letter to his
friend Postumus, upbraiding him for being able to stay away so long
from his wife Galla, while warring in the East, and assuring him
of her matchless constancy. The conditions are similar, and it is
very possible that the circumstances of Postumus and Galla may
have suggested the idea of this piece : but Bentley has pointed out
that when Roman writers used feigned names to denote real persons
330 NOTES.
they chose names of the same number of syllables, and .of the same
metrical quantity, as the originals. Thus Catullus writes of Clodia as
Lesbid, Horace of Terentia as Lfcymnta. The poem before us is full
of fine feeling and of delicate natural touches, which separate it toto
caelo from the laboured sweetness and faultless artificiality of Ovid's
Heroides. Hertz, puts the date of the composition at B.C. 20. As to
whether Ovid copied Propertius in this style of poetry see note on 1. 3.
2. Cum . . . absis is subordinate to sipotes. ' If, in spite of your
absence,' etc. For the position of the cum clause cp. Nepos, Milt. 6. 3.
si potes. The indicative implies that the sentence is hypo-
thetical in form only. There is no doubt about the potes : what
she expresses is astonishment at the fact.
3. tamen is not easy to explain. It may refer to the supposed
completeness of the mandata : ' This is my message : yet if it seem
wanting in any part, know that it is my tears that are the cause.'
But it is better to refer it to the doubt of his love implied in 1. 2.
' Thou hast scarce the right to call thyself mine : and yet these lines
are all blotted with my tears.' Cp. Ov. Her. 3. 3
Quascunque adspicies, lacrimae fecere lituras ;
and id. J i . i
Si qua tamen coeds errabunt scripta lituris :
Oblitus a dominae caede libellus erit.
These passages are remarkable : it is scarcely possible to avoid the
conclusion that either Ovid copied Propertius, or Propertius Ovid.
Note the correspondence between Si qua tamen, and Si qua tamen ;
tibi lecture and quascunque adspicies ; oblita and oblitus ; litura and
lituras ; e lacrimis meis and lacrimae fecere. Further, in the next
lines of Ovid's epistle Canace speaks of her approaching death :
Dextra tenet calamum ; strictum tenet altera femim,
while Prop. 1. 6 has dextrae iam morientis, words out of keep-
ing with the rest of the poem, in which the young lady makes no
reference to death or suicide. From Ov. A. A. 3. 346 it would seem
that Ovid could not have been the imitator, as he claims originality
in this kind of poetry :
Ignotum hoc aliis ille novavit opus.
As Ovid was born in B.C. 43, and as the Heroides were probably the
earliest of his works, it is quite possible that Propertius may have
been acquainted with them when he wrote this poem.
5. fallet, ' baffle,' ' puzzle.'
tractn, ' the track,' or ' course,' lit. ' the space over which a
thing is drawn," ' the trail.' So Lucr. 2. 206
Nonne vides longos flammarum ducere tractus,
PROPERTIUS, IV. 3., 2-10. 331
of long streaks or trails of flame. So Luc. 10. 256 has longo mitescere
tractu of the long course of the Nile.
7. modo, 'lately.'
iterates . . . per ortus, = ' for many and many a day past.'
The ortus are the risings of the sun.
iterates means repeated, not for a second time only, but over
and over again, so that \\. = multos. Palmer quotes Ov. Fast. 6. 199
for Phoebusque iteraverit ortus: but the first part of that line
Mane ubi bis fuerit shows that a second repetition only is meant.
In 4. I. 82 signa iterata rotae are the signs of the zodiac, ' scanned
again and again' by astrologers; and in Stat. Silv. I. 2. 84 iterata
vulnera are wounds ' repeated again and again.' Schultze supposes
Lycotas to be compared to a star 'rising day after day' over Bactra.
8. Neuricus. The reading is uncertain: the text is a con-
jecture of Jacob, adopted by most editors, for the hericus of the best
MSS. The Neuri were a Sarmatian tribe mentioned by Val. Flac.
6. 122 et raptor agrorum Neurus, and by other authors, while
the Sarmatians were specially noted for their heavy mail-clad horse-
men. See Tac. Hist. I. 79, where the cavalry of another Sarmatian
tribe, the Roxolani, are described. They were so heavily armed
that once fallen, like the knights in the Middle Ages, they could not
rise. Between B. c. 30 and 20 operations had been undertaken against
the Daci and other tribes beyond the Danube, to which Horace often
refers, and which would make an allusion to any Sarmatian tribe
as to the Getae in 1. 9 quite natural. The conjecture Sericus is
not improbable. The Seres, of whom the Romans knew little or
nothing, are spoken of in three places by Horace as an extreme
Eastern tribe within reach of the power of Rome, Od. I. 12. 56,
3. 29. 27, 4. 15. 23 ; and it is remarkable that in the parallel poem
to Postumus, Propertius speaks of the Median (i.e. Parthian) arrows
and the mailed horsemen in one breath, 3. 12. n
Neve tua Medae laetentur caede sagittae,
Ferreus aurato neu cataphractus equo.
1O. decolor. There can be little doubt that decolor is the right
reading, rather than the discolor of the MSS. The prepositions di and
de are perpetually interchanged in MSS. Munro, Journal of Phil,
vol. 6. p. $2, points out that discolor is read for decolor by an equal
number of MSS. in each of the six places in Ovid where decolor
occurs. Ovid uses the word specially of India and the Indians :
and Seneca also has India decolor, Hippolytus 345. Munro holds,
without sufficient reason, that Eoa aqua cannot mean ' on the
Eastern wave or waters,' as an ablative of place. He shows that
332 NOTES.
Pliny and Mela had vague ideas of an eous oceanus or eoum mare,
which they held to bound India on the East, and proposes Eoae
aquae, translating ' And the Indian of the Eastern wave burnt to a dis-
coloured hue.' But if the Indian could be described as ' of the East-
ern wave,' he might equally well be said to live or be ' on the Eastern
wave,' and to most persons the latter will seem the more natural ex-
pression. Indus is no doubt, as the whole passage shows, ' the Indian,'
not ' the river Indus.' As applied. to the river Indus, discolor would
give a good sense, as it is a fact that the colour of its waters presents
a strong contrast to that of the blue sea at its mouth. If discolor be
applied to the Indian, it can only mean ' of a colour different from
us,' or ' from the rest of mankind.' Cp. Virg. Aen. 6. 204
Discolor unde auri per ramos aura refulsit,
where discolor means ' of a colour different from that of the objects
around it.'
Boa . . . aqua, on the above view, must be an ablative of place,
'on the shores of the Eastern waters.' Cp. i. 14. I
Tu licet abiectus Tiberina molliter unda ;
and 2. 13. 55 (if we follow the MSS.)
Illic formosum iacuisse paludibus.
A simpler interpretation, however, of this passage maybe suggested.
The reference may simply be to sun-burning by the sea : ' The
Indian burnt to a discoloured hue by the Eastern wave?' The
Romans only knew of the Indian coast ; they knew of the sea
lhat washed it as being ever under a broiling tropical sun, and may
well have attributed to this cause, at least in part, the swarthy com-
plexion of the Indians. Cp. especially 3. 13. 16, where Easterns
are described as Quos Aurora suis rubra colorat aquis.
11. marita, here used as a participle = ' thy wedded troth,' as
in 4. II. 33 facibus maritis ; in Ov. Her. 4. i^fratre marita soror,
and perhaps in Hor. Od. 3. 5. 6
Milesne Crassi coniuge barbara
Turpis maritus vixit ?
et pactae. Paley much improves the point of this line by
reading et sic pactae mihi nodes, etc. ' Was it on these terms that
I gave myself up to thee?'
12. rndis, ' all inexperienced,' 'a novice.'
victa, nominative feminine singular.
The ordinary phrase for ' yielding ' is dare manus, as 4. II. 88.
13. dednctae, of the marriage procession which escorted the
bride to her new home. An exactly similar procession may be seen
in some Scottish villages to this day as in Leadhills in Lanarkshire
PROPERTIUS, IV. 3., n-ai. 333
where the whole marriage party after the ceremony accompanies
the bride to her new home in a procession headed by a fiddler.
14. Nothing was more ill-omened than that the proceedings of
a marriage should in any way come in contact with the para-
phernalia of a death or a funeral. See Ov. Met. 6. 429 : among the
ill omens of Procne's marriage,
Eumenides tenuere faces de funere raptas.
During the Feralia no marriage took place, Ov. Fast. 2. 559
lamina nigra, not merely ' dim,' but ' dark ' and ' funest ' in
their boding, because of their having been lighted from the overturned
remains of a funeral pyre. There is perhaps an allusion to the fact
that the marriage torch was made of the wood of the white thorn.
15. On reaching the door of his own house, the bridegroom pre-
sented the bride with fire and water, as symbols of the necessaries of
life. Arethusa declares that the water was not fetched from a pure
spring, but from some Avernian pool connected with the lower world.
16. The god Hymen or Hymenaeus, invoked throughout the
procession in the marriage song, was supposed to be present
throughout the proceedings.
17. portis. This word implies city gates, not the gates of a
temple. At the city gates there were chapels or shrines to the
Lares Viales, under whose protection travellers were placed. Simi-
larly there were Lares Permarini, to whom prayers were addressed
for those venturing on sea-voyages. See note on Tib. i. I. 20.
pendent apparently refers to tablets hung up with a record of
the vow. See note on 2. 28. 43.
vota are not ' votive offerings,' as Paley supposes, which were
not hung up until after the prayers made had been granted, but
only the promise of such offerings accompanying the prayer.
18. Arethusa is represented as occupying herself at home with
weaving her husband's military cloak, with the simplicity of an
early Roman matron. So Lucretia, Ov. Fast. 2. 743, sits and works
among her maidens :
Mittenda est domino, nunc nunc properate, puellae,
Quamprimum nostra facta lacerna manu.
19. vallum, the accusative of vallus, 'a stake;' vallum is a
palisade.
20. per, ' by means of.' The preposition is rare in this sense,
except with persons : such adverbial phrases as per iocum, per
otium, per viam, etc., are common, but not parallel.
21. 22. An ancient fable is here alluded to, similar to our
proverb of making ropes of sand, and represented in a picture by
334 NOTES.
Polygnotus. A man called Ocnus is employed in twisting a rope ;
as fast as he makes it, it is devoured by a she-ass standing at his
side. Pausanias says it is emblematic of a hard-working husband
afflicted with an extravagant wife.
obliquo apparently refers to the man standing sideways as
regards the ass, so that he does not see what she does.
23, 24. The questions in urit, atterit are made direct for
sake of vividness.
23. urit, 'chafes:' so Hor. Epp. i. 10. 43 of a shoe,
Si pede maior erit, subvertet, si minor, uret.
27. tenuasse. Lycotasis said 'to have made his face thin,' in-
stead of 'to have become thin in the face.' Exactly similar is 3. 22. 16,
where the Nile is said ' to moderate his seven channels,' instead of
' to be moderated by having his waters divided into seven channels.'
28. iste, ' that paleness of thine.'
29. At marks the transition from the consideration of his
state to hers.
induxit, 'has ushered in.'
31. pallia are the bed coverlets, which in her restless nights
she keeps tossing on to the ground.
sidere, used like sedere in Ov. Am. 1.2.2
Esse quid hoc dicam quod tarn mihi dura videntur
Strata, neque in kcto pallia nostra sedent ?
32. Lucis auctores, i.e. the cock. So Ov. Met. n. 597
Non vigil ales ibi cristati cant thus oris
Evocat Auroram.
33. Cp. Tibull. i. 3. 85-88.
34. radios, 'the shuttles,' into which the woollen yarn was
distributed in proper lengths (sectd) for weaving. The MSS. read
gladios, which Hertz, is half disposed to adopt as the true reading,
with the same meaning as radios, on the strength of a line quoted
from Ennius by Nonius,
Deducunt habiles gladios filo gracilento.
But the meaning of gladios in that passage is by no means clear.
suos, because each colour of wool would have its own shuttle.
35-40. She whiles away her evenings partly in work, partly in
endeavouring to follow her husband's movements on the map, and
in getting up particulars about the climate, etc., of the country he is
in. Cp. Ov. Her. 1.31 sqq. quoted above.
For the sense of the whole cp. Sir R. Aytoun :
Meantime my part shall be to mourn,
To tell the hours till thou return.
PROPERTIUS, iv. 3., 23-48. 335
My eyes shall be but eyes to -weep,
And neither eyes to see nor sleep.
38. docti . . . positnra del is the disposition of the world
made by a wise Creator. Cp. Virg. Aen. 12. 94
oalidam m corripit hastam,
Actoris Aurunci spolium,
of the spoil taken from Actor.
39. lenta, as Paley remarks, is used of ' adhesive ' substances,
such as honey, pitch, wax, etc., while putris is ' loose,' ' friable,' of a
light soil, Virg. Geo. 2. 204, opposed to a clay soil which lentesdt
habendo.
ab, ' in consequence of.'
42. peierat, ' falsely declares.'
43. Hippolyte, Queen of the Amazons. Cp. 3. 14. 13
Qualis Amazonidum nudatis bellica mammis.
44. barbara. Note the emphatic position of this word, in
contrast to Romanis in the next line. As Finder puts it, ' Happy in
the freedom of her wild state.'
45. See the very interesting debate in the Senate, recorded by
Tacitus, Ann. 3. 33, 34, as to whether governors of provinces should
be allowed to take their wives with them.
47. Pater. If the reading Africus in the next line be correct,
the title Pater must be applied to the wind in the same way that it
is constantly applied to rivers. The only parallel given is Claud.
Rapt. Pros. 2. 73, where Zephyrus is addressed as Pater gra-
tissime veris. If for Africus we read some word other than the
name of a wind, Pater will stand for Jupiter, as in Hor. Od. 3. 10. 7
Audis . . . et positas ut glaciet nives
Puro numine luppiter.
48. The MSS. have Africus : but Africus was par excellence the
warm steamy wind of the Mediterranean, the South-west, the Greek
Afy.the sirocco of modern times, the last wind in the world to be asso-
ciated with frost. Hence the various conjectures given in the critical
notes. But elsewhere Auster is called frigidus Prop. 2. 26. 36, and
Virg. Geo. 4. 261 ; turbidus Hor. Od. 3. 3. 5 ; and Tib. 1. 1. 47 has
Aut gelidas hibernus aquas cum fuderit Auster.
Africus itself is often associated with storms : Africis procellis
Hor. Od. 3. 29. 57 ; praecipitem A. id. i. 3. 12 ; protervus A. id.
Epod. 16. 22. Either then Propertius uses Africus vaguely of a
wind that brings rough, coarse weather; or else implies that in
Scythia, whose cold the Romans greatly exaggerated, even Africus
congeals everything with frost. None of the conjectures proposed
336
AZOTES.
are satisfactory. R. Ellis makes the tempting conjecture Arcticus,
(Journ. of Phil. vol. 15. p. 19), but no authority but that of Hyginus
is quoted for the word. Palmer is inclined to propose adstrictam,
quoting Ov. Trist. 2. 196
Et marts adstricto quae coit undo. gelu.
As the names of the winds are constantly recurring in Latin poetry, it
may be worth while to give a wind-chart, showing the Latin names
for the winds with their Greek equivalents :
It is to be noted, however, that the names of the winds are often
loosely used, and that each often trespasses upon the confines of its
neighbour. This is especially true of Notus, who ranges over the
whole S.W. quarter, from South to West : Boreas is more rigidly a
North wind, but travels some distance to the East. Mr. Gladstone,
Homeric Studies, vol. 3. p. 274, has pointed out that the Homeric
winds usually hunt in couples, Boreas and Zephyrns being frequently
associated as one couple, Eurus and Notus as another : in one place
PROPERTIUS, IV. 3., 49-53. 337
only (II. 21. 334) are Notus and Zephyrus conjoined. Thus these
four winds are not regarded as being at right angles to each other :
Boreas is nearer to Zephyrus, Notus is nearer to Eurus.
49. aperto in coniug-e, ' in the case of an acknowledged
husband.' For in, attached in this sense to a verb of loving, cp.
Hor. Od. i. 17. 19 laborantes in uno / id. Epod. n. 4 in pueris aut
in puellis urere ; and Prop. I. 14. 7
Perditus in quadam tardis pallescere curis
Incipis.
50. Finder points out the alliteration of this line.
51. tibi cannot be right here : there is no point in 'thy purple'
if the line be punctuated naturally as in the text, and to read with
Finder, Bae., etc. narn mihi quo? tibi, etc. is harsh as well as point-
less. Palmer prefers ter, and suggests quo . . . quo as a possibility.
52. meas is clearly right. Bae. follows most MSS. in reading
tuas, which can only be interpreted 'these hands which in very truth are
thine ' an intolerable ambiguity, and not supported by such phrases
as Blanditias meas, oscula mea ('kisses, etc., meant for me"), quoted
from Tib. I. 9. 77, etc. Coaxings and kissings are transferable, hands
are not.
aquosa. The Romans accounted for the coldness and clearness
of crystal by imagining that it contained water frozen into ice. Thus
Claud. Epig. 1 1
Dum chrystalla puer contingere lubrica gaudet,
Et gelidum tenero pollice versat onus ;
Vidit perspicuo deprensas irtarmore lymphas,
Diira quibus so/is parcere novit hiems ;
Et siccum rclegens labris sitientibus orbem
Irrita quaesitis oscula figit aquis.
53. surda, transferred from the active meaning ' not hearing '
to the passive ' not heard,' noiseless. So caecus of a thing not
seen ; as Lucr. I. 271 of the winds,
Sunt igitur vend nimirum corpora caeca.
Cp. Prop. 4. 5. 58
htius tibi sit surda sine arte lyra.
raris Kalendis, i. e. ' but seldom on the first of the month,'
' no oftener than once a month.' Raris is a general epithet of
Kalendis, not a determining epithet. Cp.funus extremum i. 17. 23
and note. The Lares were usually worshipped on the Nones and
Ides as well, Cato. R. R. 133.
adsueta : this was the regular duty of the una puella, the
single maid-servant to whom her establishment was reduced Prof,
z
338 NOTES.
Palmer would now read ad sueta, ' for their wonted rites,' and com-
pares Appul.
Se ad sectae sueta conferunt.
54. clauses, i. e. in the Lararium.
56. tui partem, ' claims thy place,' lit. ' thy function or office/
partem being used for the more usual partes.
57. verbenis. The verbena was a plant much used in sacred
rites of all kinds, and especially in the ratifying of treaties, as
we learn from Servius on Virg. Aen. 12. 120, Liv. i. 24, 30.
43 and elsewhere. It is usually identified with our vervain, but it
was used in a wider sense to denote the leaves or branches of any
sacred tree or bush. Thus Servius, quoted above, says Verbena
proprie est herba sacra, ros marinus, ut multi volunt, id est \i-
QavcaTis, sumpta de loco sacro Capilolii qua coronabantur Fetiales
et Pater Patruus foedera facturi vel bella indicturi. Abusive tamen
verbenas iam vocamus omnes frondes sacratas, ut est laurus, oliva,
vel myrtus. Terentius (And. 4. 3. u) ' ex ara hinc sume verbenas'"
nam myrtum fuisse Menander testatur, de quo Terentius transttilit.
58. herba Sabina, a kind of juniper, known as savin, used
before incense was known, Ov. Fast. i. 343
Ara dabat fumos herbis contents, Sabinis,
or as an offering by the poor, Culex 403
Herba turis opes priscis imitata Sabina.
60. Just as a tea-leaf swimming on the top of a cup of tea is
called ' a stranger,' so a sputter in the wick of a lamp or candle was
held by the Romans to herald an arrival, and had to be acknow-
ledged by a libation. Thus Ov. Her. 19. 151
Sternuit et lumen, posito nam scribimus illo :
Sternuit, et nobis prospera signa dedit.
Ecce ! merum nutrix faustos instillat in ignes
Crasque erimus plures, inquit, et ipsa bibit.
We call a fungus-like excrescence on the wick of a candle 'a
thief.' In the passage before us the wine is applied to the lamp.
61. 62. The ' fatted calf would be slain on the wanderer's
return : Hor. Epp. 1.3.36
Pascitur in vestrum reditum votiva iuvenca.
62. Succinct!, ' girt up for work,' hence used for ' active,'
'busy.' The opposite term, male cinctus, is used of an inactive
luxurious person whose robe is loose; hence 'profligate,' as in the
celebrated warning of Sulla, who detected the ambition of Caesar
under the foppery and profligacy of his youth : ut male praecinctum
puerum caverent Suet. Caes. 45.
PROPERTIUS, IV. 3., 54-71 5 IV. 4., i, 2. 339
nova, because she had hitherto (1. 53) intermitted many of her
religious duties.
63. tanti. The apodosis is left to be understood. ' Let not
the glory of capturing Bactra be of so great value in your eyes as that
for sake of that you should prolong your absence.' The full con-
struction of tanti in such passages is seen in Juv. 3. 54 quoted
above on I. 8. 3.
64. odorato duel. ' Some perfumed chief.'
carbasa lina, as Palmer observes, is not more forcible than
' flaxen linen ' would be. Lina seems a gloss : he suggests picta.
It is possible, however, that carbasa may add a sense of fineness to the
word lina : but in that case lina becomes tautological.
66. Another allusion to the Parthian and his well-known
method of fighting ; as in 3. 9. 54
Parthorum astutae tela remissa fugae.
So Virg. Geo. 3. 31, Hor. Od. i. 19. 12.
67, 68. tua . . . pura hasta, i. e. ' may a hasta pura be pre-
sented to thee, with which thou mayest follow in the triumph.' A hasta
pura was a pointless spear, a reward of bravery to a young soldier.
In Virg. Aen. 6. 760 the young Marcellus leans on such a spear.
67. sic, ' on this condition : ' the condition is given in con-
serva, etc. For this construction see note on Tibullus 2. 5. 63.
70. legfe, ' condition.'
71. Outside the Porta Cafiena stood a temple of Mars, in
which returning warriors hung up and dedicated their arms. See
Ov. Fast. 6. 192. Observe the dative portae after a verb of motion.
The construction is somewhat softened by votiva.
IV. 4.
THIS poem, by many placed amongst the earliest (but see Introd.),
is by no means the least beautiful, of the poems of Propertius.
Hertz, is probably correct in supposing that, together with the first,
second, ninth, and tenth of this book, it was intended to form part
of a poetico-antiquarian book of ' Origines ' after the model of the
AITIO of Callimachus ; and that, in all probability, these poems gave
to Ovid the idea of his Fasti. There are obvious differences of
style between these and the other poems of Propertius. Lachmann is
of opinion that they were not published until after the poet's death.
1, 2. As in the first, second, and tenth pieces, Propertius begins
abruptly with a short statement of his subject. The two lines before
Z 2
340 NOTES.
us are exactly parallel to 10. i, 2. For the legend of Tarpeia see
Liv. i . 1 1 , Ov. Fast. 1.261 sqq. The account now generally accepted is
that there was originally a Latin settlement on the Palatine hill, a
Sabine (?) settlement on the Quirinal and Capitol, and that the infant
Rome was formed by the union of the two. Roman pride could not
admit that the Capitol was not originally Roman, and so represented
it as having been lost by treachery. See Tac. Ann. 12. 24.
2. limina lovis, not the threshold of the temple of Juppiter
Optimus Maximus, but the approach to the Capitoline hill itself,
the whole of which was considered to have been the abode of the
god from the earliest times. Thus Virg. Aen. 8. 347, when Evander
conducts Aeneas,
Hinc ad Tarpeiam sedem et Capitolia duett,
Virgil adds,
lam turn reltgio pavidos terrebat agrestes
Dira loci, iam turn silvam saxiimque tremebant.
Evander goes on to explain that it is uncertain who the god is, but
that his Arcadians believe they have seen Jupiter himself. So saxa
lovis 1. 10.
antiqui . . . Zovis, as in 2. 30. 2^
antiqui dulcia fiirta lovis.
3. felix, ' thick,' ' luxuriant.'
conditns no doubt ought to be read. Consitus, of a
natural wood, is unmeaning. Conditus means ' hidden,' ' retired,'
' withdrawn from view ; ' cp. such phrases as nubes Condidit lunani
Hor. Od. 2. 16. 3 ; hostis in silvas armatum militcm condidit Curt.
8. i. 4. Propertius means that the approach to the Capitol was
through a rocky thickly-wooded den or gorge, the rocks (antro)
being covered with ivy. All these points occur in Virgil's descrip-
tion : silvestribus horrida dumis, silvam saxumque, nennis, fron-
doso virtue collem. The details throughout are vague, confused,
and exaggerated, but it is vain to look for real topographical
accuracy in the poets, or indeed the historians, of Rome. The
Roman historians are notoriously inexact and vague in such
matters. Livy never helps us in his descriptions of ground, even as
to great battle-fields which he might easily have visited. And even
the careful Greek Polybius, who laboriously went over the scenes of
the campaigns which he narrates, never describes a locality with the
point and precision which are necessary for identification. The
Capitol has been so overlaid with buildings and ruins that it is im-
possible now to make out its original natural features : but there are
still two pieces of abrupt volcanic cliff one of them at least sixty
PROPERT1US, IV. 4., 2-14. 341
fett in height which lay claim to being the Tarpeian Rock. One
is on the north side, overlooking the Campus Martins ; the other is
on the south-east side, facing the Palatine, in the garden of the
modern German Hospital. The latter site suits history and the
legend best, as the Sabine assault was made from the side of the
Palatine and the Forunj.
Through the den ran a little gurgling stream : in 1. 7 and through-
out the poem it is spoken of as fons, and treated indifferently as a
stream and as a spring. Cp .font 'e, font 'em 11. 14, 15 with amne 1. 24.
4. obstrepit . . . aquis. A curiously inverted expression.
The natural construction of obstrepo is with the dative of the thing
against which the subject chafes or sounds ; but here the thing chafed
against is the subject, and aquis is in the ablative: ' The trees echo
or ring with the sound of the water.' Cp. Hor. Epod. 2. 27
Fantesque lymphis obstrepunt manantibus,
1 roar with their waters;' and Cic. Div. 5. 4. i quae res fecit ut tibi
litteris obstrepere non auderem, where both constructions are used.
6. poturas ire, ' more usually potum ire! Palmer.
7. fontem . . . praecingit, i. e. Tatius brought his lines close
up to the fons, or pool, where the Roman garrison watered. Thus
his palisade formed a kind of edge or -border to the fons : and when
Tarpeia came down to draw water, the Sabines, bivouacking in the
forum, were in full view.
8. coronat, as we speak of a ' ring-fence.'
9. Cnretis, i. e. ' Sabine.' Propertius apparently alone uses
this form. In Ov. Fast. 3. 94 the form Curensis is used, as by Varro
and Pliny. Cures, -turn is the town.
11. dicuntur iura, ' law is administered.'
13. ' They had a mountain for their wall.'
ubi, etc., i. e. the fons was on the site where afterwards the
curia Hostilia was built, the special meeting-place, first of the curiae,
afterwards of the Senate. Close to the curia Hostilia was the famous
Career or Mamertine prison, known anciently as Tullianum. Now
the name Tullianum is derived from an old word tullius, signifying
a spring, and in reality means ' Well-house.' There is a well still to
be seen in the prison : it is therefore possible that Ihe/ons of Tarpeia
is none other than the tullius of the prison, the sight of which wrung
from Jugurtha his last words : ' O Romans, how cold your bath is ! '
See Burn's Rome, p. 81, etc.
14. This line is apparently a general description of the spring,
without special allusion to the Sabines or Romans. The spring was
apparently outside the lines of both armies : Aquam forte ea turn
343 NOTES.
sacris extra moenia petitum ierat Liv. i. IT. But Propertius makes
no use of this point.
15. fontem libavit, i.e. 'drew water for the service of the
goddess.' Besides meaning 'to pour,' especially of religious libations,
libo means ' to taste,' ' to touch lightly,' and so ' to take ' or ' select,'
as Cic. de Inv. 2. 2 Ex variis ingeniis excellentissima quaeque
libavimus.
at has no adversative force : it merely adds a new point to the
picture.
16. Cp. Ov. Fast. 3. 14, of Rhea Silvia,
Ponitur e summa fictilis urna coma.
17. 18. The sudden contrast between the picture of the pure
vestal, with her earthen pitcher, going about her simple duties, and
the thought of the shameful act which she was about to commit,
wrings from the poet the indignant outburst of this couplet.
17. satis una mors, i. e. no amount of deaths could expiate
such a treachery. Cp. Hor. Od. 3. 27. 37. Lachmann's conjecture
urna, adopted by Hertz., and called by him palmaris, is absolutely
contemptible.
18. fallere, ' to prove false to.' As we have seen, the verb/a//^
is used in the vaguest sense, to denote any act or form of conceal-
ment, deceit, or treachery.
20. I adopt Palmer's conj. frena with great confidence. Arma
came from armis, in 1. 21, which would be a repetition \iarma were
read. The changes from a toy, and from m to en are of the slightest,
and the picture of the horseman is incomplete without it.
Picta need occasion no difficulty to those who remember the lines :
Blue was the charger's broidered rein,
Blue ribbons decked his arching mane ;
The knightly housings ample fold
Was velvet blue, and trapped with gold. Marmion, i. 6.
22. inter, i. e. ' from between.'
oblitas manus, like oblito pectore Cat. 64. 208, and oblito amore
i. 19. 6.
23. immeritae, i. e. omens ' of which the moon was guiltless.'
cansata est, ' alleged as an excuse for going to the spring.' Cp.
Tib. 1.3. 17.
26. Romula for Romulea. Cp. 3. 3. 7, n. 52.
27. primo fumo, ' the first smoke of the evening,' when the
fire was lighted for supper.
29. residens, ' sitting,' or ' sinking down,' with a notion of
languor and dejection, after her ascent from the fans.
PROPERTIUS, IV. 4., 15-41. 343
30. non patienda. The poet glances at her future punishment.
31. Paley says the speech of Tarpeia cannot extend to 1. 66,
because fievit is inappropriate to the passage from 1. 48. But it is
clear the whole is spoken by Tarpeia. She begins 11. 31-46 by a
soliloquy : she then, 11. 47-66, goes on as if she were addressing
Tatius, and discloses to him her plan.
34. Bum . . . conspicer, ' Provided only I may gaze on.'
35. montibus addita Boma. Addita is used here in a
pregnant sense, to give the idea that Rome was something far greater
than the site on which she stood. So in a bad sense, ' inflicted upon,'
Teucris addita luno Virg. Aen. 6. 90 and Luc. ap. Macr. 5. 6. 4
Si mihi non praetor siet additus atque agitet me.
Paley feebly explains ' the buildings add to the height of the monies?
36. valeat, ' Farewell to.' She here meditates merely running
away : the idea of earning her right to be Tatius' wife by treachery
has not yet suggested itself.
pudenda, not in its usual sense, ' whom I ought to be ashamed
of (Pal.), but ' before whom I ought to feel shame.'
37. 38. Her mind reverts to the dazzling apparition of Tatius
on his horse : a confirmation otfrena in 1. 20.
37. meos amores is generally held to refer to Tarpeia herself,
' my loving self,' just as in 2. 13. 22 mors mea = ego mortuus, and in
3. 5. ^nostra sitis = ego sitiens. But Palmer is doubtless right in
supposing it refers to Tatius : 'my love,' ' my darling.' So in 2. 28. 39,
of Cynthia
Una ratis fati nostros portabit amores,
Tarpeia is recalling in a hopeless dreamy way the vision of Tatius
on horseback ; she envies the horse his privilege of carrying his rider
back to the camp ; and then recounts with a half-approval instances
of maidens who have been urged to bold wicked deeds by the urgency
of their passion. To contemplate elopement would be out of place.
38. dextras. So the MSS. But why not dextra ?
39. 4O. Like Virgil, E. 6. 74, and Ovid, Fast. 4. 500, Pro-
pertius confounds Scylla the daughter of Nisus, king of Megara,
with the sea-monster of Homer and later tradition, who lived on
the Italian side of the Straits of Messina. The former betrayed ' her
father and her country to Minos, king of Crete, by cutting off a cer-
tain purple lock of her father's hair. See Aesch. Cho. 615, Pausan.
Att. i. 19. 5 ' (Paley). Thus Prop. 3. 19. 21
Teque 'a Minoa venumdata, Scylla, Jigura,
Tondens purpurea regna paterna coma.
41. Prodita . . . fraterni corona monstri, lit. ' The betrayed
344 NOTES.
horns of the fraternal monster ' by a strange inversion, = ' The be-
trayal of her brother, the horned monster,' i. e. the Minotaur.
42. lecto stamine, ' by picking,' or ' taking up, the thread.'
Cp. Ov. Her. 10. 104
Fila per adductas saepe relecta manus.
44. Xmproba virgineo. Note the strong juxtaposition of
epithets. So in the Odes of Horace, tenues grandia i. 6. 9; insolentem
servo. 2. 4. 2 ; perfida credulum 3. 7. 13, etc.
45. The Palladium was kept in the temple of Vesta, Ov. Trist.
3- I- 29-
45, 46. Perhaps the weakest couplet in Propertius. The conceit
is truly Ovidian : at once mawkish and exaggerated. Paley calls it
' a truly poetical idea.'
47. cessabitnr. So Palmer ; but he now prefers potabitur.
The pugnabitur of the MSS. is entirely inconsistent with what
follows, 11. 73-80, and especially 11. 79, 83. The account is
modelled on the famous attempt of the Gauls under Brennus : the
essence of the plan was that the Romans were to be off their guard,
and the attack a stealthy one.
48. Note cap? before a word beginning with sp: so 3. II. 53,
4. i. 41, and before st in 4. 5. 17.
49. 50. quippe . . . aquas gives the reason why the via is
perfida. It is always wet : but the water flows in a silent, and there-
fore treacherous channel (limes),
52. Bae.'s correction Hanc is more forcible than Haec. All
that mere words and prayers can do to help Tatius, she has already
done : she wishes she had a more potent mode of helping him with
her tongue. If we read haec we may translate, ' Then would my
tongue too, like Medea's, have brought help to a handsome lover."
53. toga picta, an embroidered robe worn by generals in a
triumph, also by the statue of Juppiter Capitolinus.
sine matris honore, a negative, and therefore gentle, mode of
describing the dishonour of Rhea Silvia, like nee proba Pasiphae
2. 28. 52.
54. Nutrit. Propertius is fond of this idiom, by which the
present is used for the perfect of a past and completed act. So 4. i. 77
Me crcat Archytae soboles:
and in the same poem, 11. 127, 128, 131, 132, 133, the present
and perfect are used alternately of the same events. See note on
4- " 39-
55. Sic, if correct, must mean ' on this condition,' viz. the condi-
tion stated as a result in 1. 56. The question of 1. 55 is equivalent to
PROPERTIUS, IV. 4., 42-74. 345
a conditional proposition : cp. ' Is any merry ? let him sing
psalms.'
57. Si minus shows that the preceding couplet has stated one
of the two alternatives. The punctuation of the text makes the
clause ne sint dependent upon me rape, etc. Others have a colon
after Sabinae : ' let it not be said that.'
59, 6O. In allusion to the legend of the Sabine wives rushing
in between their husbands and their fathers, and so putting" an end to
the battle, Liv. i. u, Ov. Fast. 3. 217.
60. medium perhaps combines the idea of a treaty between
the two parties, with that of bringing them to terms on the spot.
palla, the outer shawl or robe thrown over the female stola. It
is here used for a wedding- garment.
62. vest, arm., 'the battle you must fight.' torus, ' marriage.'
64. V a reads lassa for lapsa: this gives point to Ipsaque.
65. de te. Pal. quotes Mart. 7. 54. I
Semper mane mihi de me tua somnia narras.
67. permisit brachia happily expresses the abandon with
which she surrendered herself to sleep.
68. furiis is used in a mixed sense; partly for the Furies,
avengers of the wrong done to Vesta in letting out the sacred fire,
who in sleep are to goad her on to fresh sin ; partly, as novis shows,
for the mad pangs of love, inflamed to new fury in her dreams.
accubuisse, ' that she has laid down beside.'
69. tutela, 'protectress,' as in Hor. Ep. i. i. 103.
70. condit in ossa faces. So Venus sends Cupid to Dido,
Virg. Aen. i. 660
Ut furentem
Incendat reginam atque ossibus implicet ignem ;
and in 4. 101
Ardet amans Dido, traxitque per ossa furorem.
71. ruit, of the mad fury of her movements ; not that she yet
goes forth to meet Tatius, as she does later, 1. 81.
72. Strymonis, ' some Thracian damsel,' from the river Stry-
mon. The comparison is probably to a Thracian Maenad in her frenzy.
Some refer it to an Amazon (Amazons are connected with the Ther-
modon Aen. n. 659), but that would suggest quite a different idea.
sinu, the fold of the dress, torn off in frenzy.
73. Parilia. See Tib. I. i. 35 and note, also 2. 7. 88-9, and
Ov. Fast. 4. 781 sqq.
74. primus coepit, redundant : as when we say ' then first
began.'
346 NOTES.
76. madeo, madidtts, often used in reference to wine, here of
the richer dishes and dainties of the feast-day, which to meet the
Italian taste would be well soused in oil. Tib. 2. 5. 85 specially
mentions that on the Palilia the pastor is madidus Baccho.
76. divitiis. Cp. gaza agresti, Virg. Aen. 5. 40.
77. raros. The heaps of straw were placed at intervals.
81. suum, ' her own time,' and therefore ' favourable : ' as in
vere mo 'Virg. G. 4. 22 of swarming bees, ventis iturus non suts
Hor. Epod. 9. 30, of Antonius after Actium.
82. Facta. Propertius makes no mention of the bracelets which
figure as the price of Tarpeia's treachery in the common tradition
(pepigisse earn quod in sinistris manibus haberent Liv. I. n), as
being inconsistent with his more romantic version of the story.
Pacta is a kind of cognate accusative after ligat : ' she makes the
bargain fast.'
83. ascensu dubins, from its natural difficulty, and on .this
occasion, in addition, festo remissus.
84. vocales occnpat, i.e. Tatius. He strikes them down
before they can give tongue.
85. Oninia praebebant somnos : a fine expression. ' Every-
thing afforded sleeping to their gaze,' ' every spot presented
sleepers ; ' or, as Mr. Palmer well translates, ' wherever they looked
there was a sleeping form.' Omnia is geographical, so to speak : a
common use, far more graphic than Paley's, ' the holiday, the good
cheer, the wine, etc., caused slumber.' Bae.'s carpebant is con-
temptible.
86. Decrevit, ' resolved ; ' in 1. 79 it is 'ordered.'
tuis, he suddenly apostrophises Tarpeia.
87. portae fidem, i.e. 'the gate committed to her charge.'
But it might mean ' their confidence in the gate,' like fiducia valli,
Virg. Aen. 9. 142. So Ov. Am. 3. i. 50
Liminis adstricti sollicitare fidem.
88. ipsa, in withering scorn at the shameless request. Others
read ipse, which is sufficiently disposed of by Paley's explanation,
' She leaves it to Tatius to name the day ' (!) a matter which all
ages have regarded as specially within the province of the lady.
The monstrosity consists in the demand for the marriage itself coming
from her side, not the mere detail as to the time.
9O, 91. There is something unexplained in these lines, as no
pretext is suggested for the throwing of the shields on to Tarpeia.
Can 1. 90 mean ' Yes thou shalt marry me and here is the royal
conch on to which thou shalt climb ! ' as though the shields were
PROPERTIUS, IV. 4., 76-94 ; IV. 6., 1-4. 347
thrown down in cruel irony to form a nuptial couch ? .
91. armis, here = ' shields.' So Virg. Aen. 10. 841, seque in
sua colligit arma.
92. The commentary of the poet, virgo, because she had
broken her vows as a vestal ; erat, in reference to the time when the
pact was made. Observe the ancient dos was given by the husband.
94. This line seems to be addressed to Tarpeius, who was vigil
or guardian of the gate. He received the honour of having the hill
called after him as a reward of his iniusta sors, i. e. in finding the
gate betrayed, in spite of his own loyalty, by his daughter.
IV. 6.
THIS poem is a paean over the great victory of Augustus at
Actium, like the ninth Epode of Horace. It has not, however, the
merit of having been written at the time ; it was not composed till
B.C. 16, on the occasion of the third celebration, under Agrippa, of
the ludi quinquennales on the Palatine, games instituted by a
decree of the Comitia in B. c. 28 in perpetual commemoration of the
victory. They are not to be confounded with the similar games,
also quinqtiennales, instituted on the spot itself by Augustus imme-
diately after the victory.
1. Once more the poet assumes the character of a priest about
to perform a sacrifice. The first ten lines contain the exordium
worked out with more than usual elaboration. The description of
the battle itself takes the form of a solemn hymn in honour of the
Palatine Apollo, to whom the victory was due ; and the piece ends
with an invitation to sacrificial revelry, as in Horace's Epode. The
exordium and the hymn that follows are connected in exactly the
same way as in Hor. Od. 3. I : see note on Prop. 3. i.
3. Cera, though not wholly satisfactory, is better than any other
reading proposed : though in sense, Paley's hedra, if possible, would
do well enough. All through the exordium Propertius mingles
the poetic with the sacrificial terms ; and in 1. 3 certet, followed by
corymbis, requires that its subject should relate to song. Thus ara
(Haupt) will not do; serta may be right, as it contrasts best with
corymbis, and Propertius uses the feminine form, 2. 33. 37. Cera
must mean the waxen tablet on which the song was written.
4. Cyrenaeas, referring to Callimachus ; aquas, to the holy
348 XOTES.
water with which the hands were washed before the sacrifice
honores, of a thing offered, as laticum libavit honorem Virg.
Aen. i. 736. See notes on 3. i. 22 ; 3. u. 17.
6. laneus orbis, the wreath or festoon of wool, such as we
often see carved on Roman altars.
7. 8. The mingling of sacrificial with poetic terms, which charac-
terises the whole exordium, is here almost grotesque. Lit. 'Let
the pipe pour forth the libation of a song on the fresh-reared altar
from a Phrygian jar."
8. Mygdoniis, in allusion to the Phrygian pipe. To hunt up
an obscure Phrygian town mentioned by Strabo, and write Cadis with
a capital (so Seal., Baehrens, etc.) is absurd.
9. alio sint acre, i.e. 'Away with!' i.e. 'let them exist, if
they exist at all, in another clime.'
noxae, all harmful, ill-omened things, whether of sight, sound
or deed.
10. novnm, probably of the poet's originality as an elegiac
poet : 3. 3. 26. It might also refer to his first appearance in the
character of a priest.
niollit. ' A soft carpet of bay-leaves is strewn upon the ground
for the poet-priest to tread on as he leads the procession to
the altar ; cp. Ov. Met. 4. 742 Mollit humum foliis.' Postgate.
The laurel or bay was peculiarly appropriate for Apollo.
11. Palatini Apollinis, see 2. 31. The temple was built in
consequence of the Actian victory.
13. ducuntur, the usual metaphor from spinning.
14. vaces. Postgate rightly explains ' give me your leisure : '
' deign to listen,' Finder. Palmer explains it as an apology to
Jupiter for leaving him out.
fnglens expresses Virgil's inque sinus scindit sese undo, re-
ductos Aen. I. 161, and expresses the great depth of the Ambracian
gulf, which extended twenty-five miles east from its entrance at
Actium. This gulf is described successively in the passage before
us as sinus, pelagus, monimenta and via.
15. Athamana. for ' Epirote.' A good instance of the loose
way in which the poets used geographical terms. The Athamanes
lived away altogether from the sea, on the upper waters of the
Achelous.
16. condit is surely more than 'receives' (Postgate, but see
his excellent note) ; it implies the peace and calm into which the
bay lulls the noisy waters of the outer sea. It is especially used of
PROPERTIUS, IV. 6., 6-22. 349
burial : and like compono, in the same sense, conveys the idea of
rest. Cp. inhutnatos condere manes Luc. 9. 151, which recalls our
phrase ' to lay a ghost.'
18. Lit. 'a passage presenting no difficulties to the vow's of
sailors,' i. e. ' into which (harbour) there is a safe and easy chan-
nel.' The promontory of Actium (* 'AKTIOV, from 0*7-17, ' a shore ') was
a long sharp point projecting from the south or Acarnanian shore ;
between this point and the promontory which comes to meet it
from the shore of Epirus on the north, the channel at one point is
no more than 700 yards in width. On a height close to the pro-
montory of Actium stood an ancient temple of Apollo Actius or
Actiacus. Near this spot was the camp of Antony ; his fleet lay in
the spacious bay within (now the Bay of Prevesa), and he was
strong enough to occupy the strait itself, on either side of which
he had thrown up redoubts. Augustus was encamped on the north
or Epirote shore, on the spot where he afterwards founded the town
of Nicopolis in honour of his victory : his fleet lay at Comarus, a
point of the coast of Epirus outside the channel. He was unable to
force the entrance : and the great battle was brought on outside the
straight, when Antony, dispirited by failures and desertions, had
made up his mind to escape with his fleet to the East.
19. xnundi manus : for Antony, Virg. Aen. 8. 686
Victor ab Auroras populis et lit ore rubro,
Aegyptum, viresque Orientis, et ultima secum
Bactra whit.
See Postgate's note on mundus.
moles Pinea. Antony had collected at Actium some 500
vessels, mostly of vast size some rowed by ten banks of oars pro-
tected with huge frames or bulwarks of timber, and carrying heavy
engines for the discharge of missiles, etc. :
Pelago credos innare revulsas
Cycladas, aut mantes concurrere montibus altos :
Tanta mole viri turritis turribus instant,
Virg. Aen. 8. 691. With these monstrous hulks the poets are ever
comparing the light Liburnian galleys which composed the fleet of
Augustus. For the phrase stetit aequore moles cp. Campbell,
Like Leviathans afloat stood our bulwarks on the brine.
21. daxunata, ' condemned and made over to,' as in Hor. Od.
MiM
Castaeque damnatum Minervae.
22. We have here exactly the same doubt as to the case of
350 NOTES.
manu which has been raised in the similar passage, 2. i. 66. It is
very probable that manu is the dative, and that the scribe has
changed femineae tofeminea from ignorance of the contracted form
in u. See note on that passage. N. reads apta, the adoption of
which makes the dative necessary, and it must be confessed that
apta gives a better meaning than acta. There was nothing specially
shameful in the manner in which Cleopatra hurled her spear, or in
the fact that she hurled it at all, when once arrayed in arms against
Rome : what was shameful and humiliating to the Roman feeling
was that a woman should appear in arms against Rome, and herself
take part in the campaign. It was the fact that she bore arms,
that she commanded Romans in a war against Rome, that was in-
tolerable : Hor. Epod. 9. 11-14
Romanus, eheu ! posteri negabitis,
Emancipatus feminae,
Pert vallum et arma miles, et spadonibus
Servire rugosis potest !
If femineae manu be adopted here, we must adopt the dative
Tantaleae manu in a. i. 66 also. See Hous., J. of Phil. xxi. p. 193.
23. Hinc, corresponding to oltera 1. 21. Virgil draws exactly
the same contrast with hinc , . . hinc Aen. 8. 678, 685.
Augusta ; so Augustus 1. 29, and Aen. 8. 678, though the
title was not assumed till B.C. 27.
25. The fleet of Augustus advanced in crescent-shape, its two
wings extending so as to enclose and cramp the huge ships of Antony.
27. In Virgil, Apollo Actius draws his bow from above, and
at once strikes terror into the enemy.
linquens, used exactly as onr present participle, ' leaving.' For
the Propertian use of the present participle cp. simulantem 4. 1 1. 39,
and note v\sofugiens above, 1. 15.
stantem, ' fixed," as Delos had been a floating island until
bound down with chains by Zeus, Virg. Aen. 3. 76.
se vindice, a very rare use of the ablative absolute in place of
the nominative, as it refers to the subject of the sentence. The justi-
fication is in stantem, which has practically the force of a verb with
Delos for its subject. Cp. se iudice Juv. 13. 2.
28. tulit, ' had to endure.'
una, a certain correction : unda gives no sense.
29. nova, 'strange,' 'never seen before'; perhaps 'heavenly':
cp. Virg. Aen. 9. 10.
30. ' Blazed out in a triple wave of light, so as to resemble
a torch held slantwise.'
PROPERTIUS, IV. 6., 23-35. 351
ter simply indicates there were several waves or curls in the
flame ; ter is a mystic, and therefore poetic, number. Virgil identi-
fies this fax with the lulium sidus.
31. attulerat, i. e. ' appeared with : ' Postgate well compares
Cic. Phil. 8. 8. 23.
in colla solutos, ' flowing in disorder on to his neck."
32. inerxne, i. e. he had come as the god of battle, as ' lord of
the unerring bow,' and soon to be
All radiant from his triumph in the fight :
not as a citharoedus
In his delicate form a dream of Love
or as
The God of life and poesy and light.
Childe Harold.
33. ' But (he appeared) with such a look as that with which,' etc. :
i. e. quali vultu has a double construction: it is both an ablative of
quality attached to Apollo as he appeared at Actium, and an
ablative of the instrument in connection with adspexit. The allusion
of course is to the description of Apollo when he smote the Greeks
with pestilence in his wrath against Agamemnon for refusing the
suit of Chryses, Iliad i. 48 seqq.
$77 5 tear' Ov\vfj.iroto /caprivcav xcao/^fvos xrjp,
t/c\a*fai> 5' ap' oiarol fir' wfjuuv \tao^ivoio,
avrov KivTjOfvros' 6 5" Tji'e VVKTI toiKtus.
34. egressit. Egerere properly ' to carry forth,' used here as
equivalent to efferre, as in Pers. 5. 69
ecce aliud eras
Egerit has annos,
' carries forth to burial.' The expression, however, is confused by
making castra the object instead of the bodies, whilst rogis does not
suggest of itself the funeral procession. It is not necessary to suppose
that egerere means 'to empty,' either here, or in Stat. Theb. i. 37
egestas altemis mortibus urbes. The literal translation is intelligible
enough : ' carried forth (to burial), i. e. consumed, the Greek camp
by the greedy funeral pyres.' So in the passage from Statius, 'whole
cities taken out to burial by.'
35. solvlt, of the muscles relaxed in death. As Postgate says
(see his note on passage), per orbes goes equally with solvit and ser-
pentem, which is here the participle. It means ' coil by coil,' just as
cxplicuit per membra -virum quoted by Postgate from Luc. 4. 629
means ' limb by limb.' Per gives the idea of successive stages.
352 NOTES.
36. ferae. I have adopted Palmer's conjecture. Lyrae must
surely be wrong. The expression is very harsh, and un-Propertian in
itself, and if it were possible to strain lyrae so as to make it equivalent
to Musae, the answer is that there was no tradition of the Muses having
been alarmed by the Python. Imbelles lyrae has crept in because of
inerme lyrae of 1. 32, and fere might easily drop out after the vere
of timuere. As Apollo himself was the chief lyrist, the poet would
scarcely have represented the lyre especially as quailing before the
Python. This objection is not removed by supposing lyrae = Musae.
Still we must not forget Hor. Od. 1.6. 10
Imbellisque lyrae Musa potens vetat.
37. mundi, emphatic, as in I. 19. At Actium the fate of the
whole civilised world was to be decided ; just as Rome, in the person
of Augustus, was to be suffered to reach Quicunque mundo terminus
obstitit, Hor. Od. 3. 3. 53. Ab Alba, 'descended from': cp.
Pastor ab Amphryso, Virg. Georg. 3. 2.
39. lam terra tua est, not strictly true. Augustus had as yet
nowhere defeated Antony by land : and had Antony not followed the
ill-starred advice of Cleopatra to decide the event on the sea, he had
a splendid army of 100,000 trained legionaries to bring into the field,
besides countless auxiliaries. Antony is generally represented as
having staked his last chance at Actium ; but it would be no less
true to say the same of Augustus : and had Antony won, his courtly
poets might well have represented Apollo as saying to him before
the battle, iarn terra tua est.
42. ' Caesar's ship is freighted with a nation's prayers. A very
modem expression.' Postgate.
44. non bene, i. e. the omen was a disastrous one, after all.
All Rome and her career has been founded on a delusion.
45. latinos, an almost certain correction for Latinis, which is
due to remis. Fluctus needs an epithet : the scandal was that a
royal fleet should venture into Latin waters ; and that too when
Augustus was princeps. (Apollo commits an anachronism here, as
Augustus was not made princeps senatus till B. C. 28.) Et nimium
remis is not ' And so ' (Postgate) : nothing yet has been said to dis-
parage Antony's fleet. The words refer to what precedes from 1. 39,
Vince mart: iam terra tua est, etc. The land is already yours:
you must save your country now by victory at sea. ' Ay, and their
confidence in their ships is over-great ' comes in quite naturally, fol-
lowed by indignation that they should have been permitted to
approach at all.
49. Gnyet's conjecture Centauros is surely right. To take
PROPERTIUS, IV. 6., 36-62. 353
minantis as an accusative after vehunt, agreeing with some substantive
understood (' forms threatening with (?) Centaurs' rocks, ' Postgate,
or ' figures threatening to hurl giant stones," Finder), seems awkward.
With Centauros all is plain : ' and as to their prows carrying Cen-
taurs which hurl stones.' The expression is confused, referring both
to the Centaurs, which were often put as figure-heads (cp. Virg. Aen.
10. 195), and to the huge catapults for hurling stones, with which
Dion. 50. 33 tells us Antony's ships were fitted. Propertius may
have thought the two were combined.
50. Tigfna, referring to the timber frames put round some of
the vessels, either to protect them from being rammed, or to assist in
boarding the enemy. These timbers would be found to offer no
resistance (cava), and the engines to be mere painted bogeys.
pictos metus : cp. as idly as a painted ship Upon a painted
ocean.
51, 52. Cp. Byron: 'Tis the cause makes all, Degrades or
hallows valour in its fall.
51. in, 'in the case of.' See 2. 10. 21 and 4. 3. 49.
53. committe, ' set them on,' as though Augustus were the
controller of both forces. So victores committe, Venus Mart. 8.
43. 3 and licet Aeneam Rtitttlumque ferocem Committas, 'pit against
each other,' Juv. i. 162.
temporis anctor, because Apollo has suggested the moment
for joining battle. It must be confessed that Apollo's speech is
somewhat trite and prosy, as though written to order.
55. pondus, ' its contents ' or ' freight.'
57. fide, for Phoebus was true to his word and true to the
cause which he protected.' Postgate.
58. Sceptra fracta vehuntur, a powerful metaphor: the
ensigns of Antony and Cleopatra's royal power drift shattered and
helpless upon the waters.
59. Idalio, in allusion to Caesar's descent from Venus, to
whom Mount Id'alium in Cyprus was sacred, astro, the comet or
meteor into which Caesar's soul was popularly believed to have
passed, Suet. Jul. 88. Possibly the planet Vemts may be indi-
cated.
60. A very dull and egotistical remark to escape from the
deified Julius on such an occasion. His style had not improved.
iste fides, i. e. ' this exploit of yours (ista) proves you to be of
my own true blood.'
62. libera signa, ' the standards of freedom,' Postgate ; but his
examples do not appear to me to justify the translation. Our English
A a
354 NOTES.
' of is misleading : ' the path of truth,' ' the anvil of truth,' etc., are
not analogous. The natural translation is ' the standards now free,'
referring to the Roman force on Antony's side, which before the
battle was enslaved to an Egyptian queen. Horace expresses the
same thing in the words quoted above, Epod. 9. 1 2
Emancipatus feminae.
63. Ilia, sc. Cleopatra : Pal. remarks how carefully the Roman
poets abstained from mentioning the hated Egyptian queen by her
name.
male, i. e. from the Roman point of view. See note on Tib. i .
10. 51.
64. Hoc nnum, in apposition to the sentence which follows
non moritura, etc. Whether this be an Accusative or Nominative
is doubtful. Greek analogy would favour the Accusative : but in
this passage the Nominative seems the natural case, as in Virg. Aen.
6. 223
pars ingenti subiere feretro,
Triste ministerium ;
where the verb in apposition has a transitive meaning, the accusative
seems suggested, as in Aen. 9. 53, 8. 487, etc. But see Conington.
65. Di melius, taken with the words that follow, is better
taken as a statement, than in its usual meaning of a wish. 'The gods
ordered better after all : for what (i. e. how trumpery) a triumph
would it have been to see a woman borne along,' etc. The wish Di
melius ! would only be appropriate in the mouth of some one speak-
ing before Cleopatra's fate was known, in which case ductus est
would be required for ductus erat. Hertz, well quotes Seneca, Epist.
98. 5, who bids us solace ourselves under disappointments by saying
Di melius, i. e. ' The gods, after all, have ordered it for the best.'
67, 68. quod eius . . . rates, an extravagant and tasteless idea.
70. ad, ' with a view to joining.'
exu.it, ' puts off,' ' lays down.'
71. Candida, in allusion to the cleaned or whitened garments
worn on feast-days: Hor. Sat. 2. 2. 61.
72. Blanditiae rosae, ' the caresses, the allurements, of the
rose,' i. e. ' caressing roses : ' for the expression see Postgate, Intro-
duction. The genitive is epexegetic.
74. spica Cilissa, i. e. saffron oil or saffron plant : used also
for burning on altars, Ov. Fast. I. 36
Et sonet accensis spica Cilissa focis.
75. Scaliger's conjecture irritat, adopted by Paley, merely
repeats a commonplace : irritet conveys an invitation and its excuse.
PROPERTIUS, IV. 6., 63-85 ; IV. 1 1 . 355
76. fertilis, 'productive,' 'suggestive.' For the sentiment cp.
Mor. Ep. I. 5. 19, i. 19. 1-8.
77. paludosos, ' inhabiting a marshy country : ' the Sicambri
or Sugambri occupied the land on the east bank of the Rhine at the
mouth of the Lippe. In B. c. 16 they invaded Belgica, and 'inflicted a
disastrous defeat on M. Lollius, in consequence of which Augustus
\vent himself to Gaul and spent two years in settling the country.
78. Meroe was practically co-extensive with the modem
Soudan: in B.C. 22 its queen Candace had invaded Egypt, and had
been repelled by the Roman governor Petronius. Thus early did Egypt
look to foreign intervention as to that of Britain at the present day
to protect her from the assaults of the hardy Arabs of the Upper Nile.
Cepheus was a mythical king of Aethiopia, father of Andromeda.
79. confesstun, ' humbled,' 'owning himself beaten '(Palmer),
as in Virg. Aen. 7. 433 dicto parere fatetur expresses 'consent on
compulsion' (Conington), and so 'submitting himself,' 'acknow-
ledging his inferiority.' Hertz, quotes Ov. Met. 5. 215
Confessasque manus obliquaque brachia tendens
Vincis, ait, Perseu.
82. pueros, his grandchildren Gaius and Lucius Caesar, sons
of his daughter Julia and Agrippa, and adopted by himself.
83. nigras, probably of the dark alluvial soil : if so, Propertius
is thinking of Babylonia and the lower Euphrates.
si quid sapis. Cp. 2. 13. 42.
85. ducam, ' prolong : ' so Virg. Geo. 3. 379 Hie noctem htdo
ducunt, and Tib. I. 9. 61.
86. The Plur. vina may mean 'cups of wine': cp. ignes
' torches,' Jrumenta ' fields of corn,'fumi ' wreaths of smoke.'
IV. ii.
THIS magnificent poem ' the masterpiece of the poet's genius,'
as Paley terms it is in the form of an elegy upon Cornelia, a noble
Roman matron, pronounced by herself. Cornelia was connected,
both by birth and marriage with the highest Roman families. Her
father was P. Cornelius Scipio, described by Suetonius as of con-
sular rank (Oct. 62 : he was probably a consul suffectus) ; her
mother was Scribonia, whom Augustus married for political reasons
as her third husband in B. c. 40, and divorced in the year following,
on the very day when she had borne him his only daughter Julia.
She had a brother, Publius, who was consul in B.C. 16 ; and she was
married to Paullus Aemilius Lepidus, a nephew of the Triumvir.
A a 2
356 NOTES.
This Lepidus was consrd suffectus B.C. 34, and censor in B.C. 22, in
which capacity he completed the famous Basilica Aemilia. of which
a portion, built of brick, still survives as the front wall of the
Church of S. Adriano in the Forum. Cornelia left two sons and a
daughter. The elder son, Lucius, married his first cousin Julia,
grand-daughter of Augustus, and was consul in A. D. i; the younger,
Marcus, was consul in A. D. 6 with L. Arruntius, was employed in
important commands by Augustus, and was named by him, shortly
before his death, as one of the three possible aspirants to the empire :
M. Lepidum dixerat capacem sed aspernantem, Gallum Asiniutu
avidum et minorem, L. Ammtium non indignum, et, si casus
daretur, ausurum Tac. Ann. i. 13.
Of the daughter Lepida nothing certain is known. Cornelia her-
self died in the year B. c. 16, the year of her brother's consulship, as
we learn from 1. 66.
The form of the poem is peculiar. Cornelia is supposed to utter
it after her death ; hence she addresses alternately her husband as
to her past life, and the judges of the lower world as to her future.
Mr. H. A. J. Munro disputes the claim of this poem to be held not
only the noblest elegy of Propertius, but ' the queen of all elegies,' as
it is held by some to be, and denies that it represents by any means
the poet's very highest inspiration. I should be inclined to differ from
him. There is a noble stateliness, an unconscious grandeur of self-
assertion, a true Roman strength in the way in which Cornelia
describes herself, her life, and her family, which enable us to form
a picture of the Roman matron such as can be gained from no other
source except perhaps by contemplating the statues of the Vatican
and which recall the words used by Aristotle of the /x-yaAo-
if/v\os, who ' thinks himself worthy of great things, being worthy."
And the simple pathos and delicacy of the conclusion are unexcelled
in literature.
1. urgfere, of any human emotion, implies force and insistance :
used similarly of the importuning of grief, Hor. Od. 2. 9. 9
Tu semper urges flebilibus modis
My s ten ademptum.
In urgere sepulcrum, as so often in ancient poetry (and especially
throughout this poem), the simple physical idea is confused with,
and held to represent, the spiritual idea which it suggests.
2. ad, ' in response to.'
3. funera, the dead or the spirit of the dead. Funus is the
dead body in i. 17. 8
PROPERTIUS, IV. II., i-io. 357
Haeccine parva meum funus arena teget ?
Cp. ossa in the same sense 1. 20.
infernas leges, implying the stern jurisdiction under whicn
the world below is governed. Leges is equivalent to the world or
region subject to the jurisdiction.
4. Won exorato - inexorabili. So indeprensus error Virg. Aen.
5. 591. The past participle has frequently the force of the adjective
in -bilis, especially in Cicero.
stant, of the solidity and unbending strength of the entrance
and the portals which guard it. See note on 3. 18. 15.
adamante. So Virg. Aen. 6. 552. Cp. Theoc. 2. 34 at rbv
j/"A5a Kivrjcrat ic aoafiavTa.
5. fuscas denotes the absence of light, and hence of colour,
which characterises the lower world. So Quint, u. 3. 15 opposes
voxfusca, ' a husky voice,' to vox Candida.
5, 6. audiat . . . surda. The converse of what Horace finely
says of Orcus 2. 18. 40
Vocatus atque lion vocatus audit.
6. Nempe sums up briefly and pointedly the whole situation :
' why,' ' say or do what you will, the result will be.' So Ov. Am. 2. 6. 20
Infelix avium gloria, nempe iaces.
The tears of Paulus are supposed to find their way into the lower
world. All acts done to or in connection with the dead are con-
cieved, not only as known, but as actually done, in the world below.
7. aera. The obol placed as passage-money in the mouth of
the dead. A good instance of the idea remarked on above 1. i .
8. A good example of the confusion between the real and the
imaginary already noticed : ' The lurid gateway locks up the grassy
pyres.' The meaning is, ' The dark door is shut upon the occupant
of the grassy grave.' There is no need to change herbosos into um-
brosos. The pyre was built with turf, or upon it : no word would
more truly and simply characterise the surroundings of the grave.
Finder's explanation that herbosos strengthens the notion of the grave
as a closed place seems fanciful. But see Hous., 1. c., p. 179.
9. Sic, i. e. ' Upon this principle,' ' With a full knowledge of
this law.'
10. The body, while burning, is represented as being gradually
taken down to the world below.
caput, as we have seen, stands for the whole body or personality,
with a notion of tenderness and affection. Cp. the Homeric <f>i\rj or
TjOtirj KpaAij ( = carum capuf}, whilst S> Kaical Kf>a\ai Hdt. 3. 29, fuapd
r. Ach. 285, etc. correspond to the use of caput in imprecations.
358 NOTES.
11. currus avorum. A triumphal car placed in the vesti-
bulum, the open space in front of the door of a Roman mansion.
Statues were placed there, especially equestrian : but the grandest
thing of all was to have a triumphal chaiiot. In Juv. 7. 125-128
an Aemilius is mentioned who has both an equestrian statue and
a triumphal car as well :
huius enim stat currus aeneus, alti
Quadriiuges in vestibulis, atque ipse feroci
Bellatore sedens.
Postgate describes currus as a 'typical' singular, and compares 2.
14. 24
Haec spolia, haec reges, haec mihi cui-rus erunt.
12. pignora, probably her children, children being constantly
spoken of as ' pledges ' of affection. But the word may include also
all the external marks of her character and position.
13. habuit, 'experienced,' 'found : ' this sense also oihabeo seems
to be connected with that of ' to use,' ' to deal with.' Cp. I. I. 8.
If habni be read, Cornelia is emphatic.
15. noctes refers to the physical darkness below, as we see by
the addition of paludes and undo, : they may all be called damnatae
as belonging to the region of the condemned. ' Nights of con-
demnation ' would more closely represent the meaning than ' nights
of the condemned ' (Postgate).
lenta, \fa& flumine languido, attributed to the Cocytus, Hor.
Od. 2. 14. 17.
16. implicat, equivalent to the alligat of Virg. Geo. 4. 480.
18. Pater is probably Pluto, so-called as supreme in the world
below. Postgate suggests it may mean Cornelia's father, as women
were sometimes handed over to be tried by their family. But hie
corresponds to hue 1. 17: to read hinc, ' in consequence of my
innocence,' is unnecessary and far-fetched.
Det . . . mollia iura, ' May he judge me mercifully.' The
phrase is used loosely : dare iura properly means to ' lay down
laws,' ' prescribe a constitution,' etc.
19. si quis Aeacus, somewhat contemptuously, ' Some Aeacus
or other/ Aeacus being a subordinate judge to Rhadamanthus. She
desires Pluto himself to take her case out of the courts, and deal
gently with her : if not, she is prepared to face Aeacus, and meet
her doom.
19, 20. posita urna . . . sortita pila. As Postgate points out,
the urn might be either (i) that from which the jury was drawn ;
or (2) the voting um; or (3) the urn by which the order of the
PROPERTIUS, IV. II., 11-25. 359
cases was decided. But there is no call to decide this point : ' the
urn,' whatever its use, was a recognised accompaniment and emblem
of judicial proceedings, and the poets, in using the phrase, did not
concern themselves to consider to what special use it was to be put.
The placing of the urn on the table the drawing of the lot are
signs that there is to be a regularly-constituted trial, followed by a
verdict and a sentence. This is all that Virgil means, Aen. 6. 430-432,
by me . . . sine sorte, sine iudice and quaesitor Minos urnam movet.
The commentators refine overmuch : see Conington and Hor. Od. 3.
i. 1 6, etc.
20. vindicet in, ' pronounce sentence,' or ' inflict punishment
upon,' in accordance, as Postgate observes, with the original mean-
ing of the word vim dicere. Thus impersonally, Caes. B. G. 3. 16
in quos eo gravius Caesar vindicandum statuit.
sortita, either transitively ' by a ball which assigns me my
destiny,' as in Hor. Od. 3. i. 15 necessilas sortitur insignes et imos ;
or passively as in Prop. 4. 7. $$, sedes turpem sortita per amnem. If
transitive, the meaning may be ' when the ballot has chosen a jury' ;
or ' when ballot has given me my turn to be tried.' In Aen. 6. 43 1
Minos presides as iudex quaestionis, just as Aeacus does here.
21. Assideant introduces the idea of assessors, often appointed
to assist a iudex in the conduct of a case. The assessors are Minos
and Rhadamanthus, sons of Zeus, and therefore brothers of Aeacus.
Minoida sellam, a certain correction for Minoia sella of the
MSS. Minois is used for Ariadne 2. 24. 27. The objection to
Palmer's conjecture, Assideant, fratrem iuxta Minoia sella et, is that
the Eumenides could not be spoken of as assessors : they are avengers,
waiting in court to execute the sentence so soon as pronounced.
Assideant is applied non-technically to the Furies, by a kind of
zeugma. Plessis reads iuxta Minoa : sed astet.
22. intento . . . foro expresses the silence and strained atten-
tion of the court.
23. mole, ' thy burdensome task.'
24. Tantaleo should probably be read, from a form Tantaleus,
corresponding to a possible Greek form 1a.vra.Ktw. Fallax Tantaleus
liquor is weak : Palmer adopts corripere ore, supporting it by 2. 17. 6
Ut liquor arenti fallal ab ore sitim.
But ab ore there is emphatic and essential to the point of the line.
25. petat, ' make for,' ' attack.'
improbus. Postgate says : ' " Unconscionable " about hits the
general meaning of the word.' Is this note an explanation? Is
it not an av&pvrjffn of a translation once given of improbus anser,
360 NOTES.
the unconscionable goose ? ' ' Unconscionable ' is a word used in a
humorous bantering way, of a thing to which we apply moral con-
demnation, but at the same time indicate we do not do so seriously.
Thus ' unconscionable ' exactly hits off the meaning of Martial, when
he says of his country habits
Ingenti fruor improboque somno.
It is quite out of place here where the epithet is seriously applied.
See note on improbus i. 1.6.
26. Cerberus' chain is to hang loose : no bar is to be drawn in
the gate which he is guarding.
27. loquor. The MS. reading is more impressive and stately
than loquar. Cornelia here begins a speech which lasts to the end
of the poem.
poena sorornm. Objective genitive: the punishment in-
flicted upon the sisters, i.e. the Danaids.
29, 30. There is a slight anacoluthon in the sense. ' If
ancestors ever brought fame to any, the realms of Africa tell of
mine.'
SO. Cornelia mixes up together in one phrase the two great
titles to glory of the Scipio family. Two of them gained the title
Africanus for their victories over Carthage ; the younger, Scipio
Africanus Minor, was also called Numantinus from his capture ot
Numantia, B.C. 133, Ov. Fast. I. 596
Ille Numantina traxit ab urbe notam.
Rostra . . . signa. So Bae. Nostra seems needed by the
sense. Scaliger's Afra is unmeaning. Palmer's former suggestion
Aera . . . nostra is good : aera might mean ' spoils of armour ' as
well as 'family coins.' See Hous., J. of Phil. xxii. p. 108.
loquuntur, ' tell of.'
31. She passes to her mother's family, the Libones. It was a
plebeian family : we hear of a L. Scribonius Li bo, tribune of the plebs
B.C. 16. Scribonia was sister to L. Scribonius Libo, who followed
the fortunes of Pompey throughout the civil war, and commanded
the Pompeian fleet off Brundusium before Pharsalia. His daughter
was married to Sextus Pompey : and in B.C. 40 he was an important
enough personage for Augustus to think it worth while to con-
ciliate him by marrying his sister Scribonia, though much older than
himself.
exaeqnat is used transitively, but without the usual dative
after it. The expression is curious. ' The other side of my family
(altcra turbo) makes my maternal ancestors, the Libones, equal,'
viz. 'to the Scipiones' ; i.e. 'my maternal ancestors are not
PROPERTIUS, IV. II., 26-38. 361
inferior to them.' An obvious exaggeration. Palmer suggests as an
alternative,
Altera materni se exaequat turbo. Liboncs,
in which case turbo, would be idiomatic in apposition with a plural
noun.
32. domus utraqne, ' both sides of the house.'
titulis, in the same sense as in Hor. Od. 4. 14. 4
Per titulos memoresque fastos.
33. praetexta. The name given to the toga of childhood,
whether of boys or girls, because it had an edge of purple or scarlet
running round it. This maidens laid aside at marriage for the stola.
34. The vitta was simply a band worn round the head by
freeborn maidens and matrons to keep in the hair. It is thought
from this passage and Virg. Aen. 2. 168, etc. that the maiden's
vitta differed in shape from the matron's : but perhaps nothing more
is meant than that a new vitta was put on at marriage. The line
4. 3. 15 shows that importance was attached to the ceremony ol
putting it on,
Nee recta capillis Vitta data est.
acceptas, ' caught up.'
35. sic either includes all the circumstances of her death, to
part with yon ' thus untimely,' or else it refers specially to lungor :
' I became thy wife, Paulus, destined so to die,' i. e. as his wife,
neither divorced nor a widow.
36'. If we read hoc with the MSS., Cornelia must imagine
herself standing before her tomb. It was a special distinction for a
woman to be univira. Cp. Orelli's Inscr. No. 4530
HIC SITA EST ARRIA M. F. MAXIMILLA VNIVIRIA QUE VIXIT
IN CONNVBIO MARCO AVRELIO AVGG. LIB.
Prof. Palmer suggests that hoc might be the neuter nominative going
with legar, i. e. ' This will be read of me.'
37-42. She calls to witness her ancestors the Africani and
L. Aemilius Paullus that she has maintained the purity of the
house umblemished.
38. Captives had their hair shaved : and the editors are
probably right in supposing that Propertius had in his eye a trophy
erected to the Scipios with an inscription above, and at the foot a
shaved captive representing the conquered Africa like the eight
statues of Dacian captives built into the architraves of the Arch of
Constantine. The word tonsa however has the further meaning of
' fleeced,' ' stripped bare,' as in Plaut. Bacch. 2. 3. 8 Hunc tondebo
auro usque ad cutem. There is a similar play on the word in
362 NOTES.
Prop. 3. 19. 22, where Scylla, who caused her father's death and
ruin (as Delilah Samson's) by cutting off a lock of hair, is de-
scribed as
Tondens purpurea regna paterna coma.
39. Fersen. The name of Perses naturally suggests that of
his conqueror, and is used here for it. These two lines have been
much canvassed. They contain a reference to L. Aemilius Paullus
Macedonicus (father of Scipio Africanus Minor), the conqueror of
Perses. By an inversion characteristic of Propertius, he makes Cornelia
appeal first to Perses himself (1. 39), whose name suggests naturally
that of Paullus ; then in 1. 40, addressing Perses, he specifically
describes his conqueror. ' I appeal to Perses too, him that boasted
all the bravery of his ancestor Achilles ; and him too who broke
clown thy house, Perses, for all thy boasts in thine ancestor
Achilles.' The repetition of Achilles is strongly ironical : Perses
and other members of the Macedonian house were for ever boasling
of their descent from him, aeternus carmine Achilles Sil. Ital.
14. 95. Another explanation is to make Persen governed by fregit :
' him who broke Perses, and thy house Perses,' but this is harsh,
and gives less excuse for the tuas. I cannot follow Mr. Postgate.
Because Silius Italicus has the word stimulos in one passage
(14. 93) in connection with Pyrrhus' boasting in his ancestor
Achilles, and stimulabat in another (3. 609) quite unconnected with
Achilles; because in a third (15. 292) proavo tumebat Achille is
said of Philip ; and in a fourth (3. 246) -vano corda tzimore is applied
to a man proud of being Hannibal's nephew : for these reasons
he thinks Silius Italicus had this passage of Propertins before him,
and that tumidas (or cognate word) and stimulantem were read in the
copy which he followed. In these passages the words stimulos
tumore, etc. occur in a perfectly natural way, and Silius had no need
to be guided to their use. But Postgate is entirely right in rejecting
the rash changes proposed by H. A. J. Munro, Journal of Philo-
logy > 6- PP- 53~62, and in condemning his sweeping dictum that ' the
Latin language peremptorily forbids that simulantem can mean "who
formerly affected." ' The use of the presjnt participle is merely an
extension of the use of the present for the past tense noticed on 3. 7.
22. Cp. Virg. Aen. 9. 266 quern dat Sidonia Dido. Simulantem
gives an abiding characteristic of the man, almost equivalent to
simulatorem, 'the pretender to.' Cp. also tondens 3. 19. 22,fugiens
4. 6. 15, and the present nutrit 4. 4. 54. A still closer parallel is
Tac. Ann. 113 (quoted above), where Augustus describes M.
Lepidus as being capacem sed aspernantem.
PROPERTIUS, IV. II., 39-47. 363
Achilll is as good a form as Achillis, and is best supported here
by the MSS.
40. proavo . . . Achllle. The taunting repetition of these
words is similar to Horace's libertino patre natum Sat. I. 6. 6,
etc., a taunt against himself which he repeats several times, half in
pride, half in irritation.
The late Mr. Munro's great reputation makes it worth while to
state shortly his view of this whole passage. Rejecting the MS.
reading of 1. 40 on every ground of grammar, sense, and metre, he
believes that a whole distich has fallen out, 1. 38 beginning with Etot
Et qui, and that hi Achille, 1. 40, we are to look for some other pro-
aims of Perses, to enhance still more the glory of his conqueror
Aemilius Paulus. Suggesting first that this proavus may be Alex-
ander, he proposes either Atossa or Amastri, two famous Persian
queens, who would stand for the royal house of Persia : but finally he
believes Alexander's paternal descent from Hercules to be alluded to,
and Hercules himself to be described by reference to his last and
greatest achievement, his breaking into Hades, dragging away Cer-
berus, and restoring Theseus to the light. Thus by a process of reason-
ing truly marvellous, and by a display of wholly irrelevant learning,
he has persuaded himself that Propertius wrote the passage thus :
Tester maiorum cineres tibi Roma verendos,
Sub quorum tttulis, Africa, tonsa iaces,
Et qui contuderunt animos pugnacis Hiberi
Hannibalemque armis Antiochumque suis,
Et Persen proavi simulantem pectus Achilli,
Quique tuas proavus fregit, Averne, domos
Me neque censurae legem mollisse, etc.
This is indeed rescribere, non emendare, Proper Hum with a ven-
geance. Plessis reads_/raj for tuas.
41. Referring to her husband's censorship. He had no need, on
her account, to relax the severity of his office.
42. me a emphatic ; ' by no stain of mine.'
43. clamnum, for the more usual damno. See note on 2. 10. 6
audatia certe Laus erit.
45. aetas, well explained by Postgate, ' I throughout my life.'
So i. 6. 21
A'am tua non aetas umquam cessavit amort,
i. e. ' You have never yet, in all your life, been in love.' Cp. 2. 5. 27.
46. Cp. Ov. Her. 21. 172
Et face pro thalami fax mihi mortis erit.
47. An amplification of the proverb Noblesse oblige. Cp. Eur.
364 NOTES.
Ale. 602 T& fap evyevts (Kfpepercu irpos alSai. The idea is not quite
that of Spenser, F. Q. 6. 3. i, that
The gentle minde by gentle deeds is knowne,
and again
But evermore contrary hath been tryde.
That gentle bloud will gentle manners breed ;
but rather that those of noble blood feel compelled, by their very
position, and out of an imperious regard for the honour and character
of their house, to maintain a high standard of conduct. The words.
of themselves, would apply literally to the modern law of heredity.
49. See above on 1. 19. The urn here contains the decision of
the indices. Each juror was saiAferre tabellam, to deposit his voting-
tablet in the urn, ' to record his vote.' Hence the urn itself is said
ferre tabellas, because its contents pronounce or record the verdict.
50. assessn meo, ' by association with me.' Possibly with a
reference to friends sitting beside an accused person at his trial : or
it may refer to the shades below, none of whom, however virtuous
not even Claudia or Aemilia need shrink from contact with her.
51. The story of the matron Claudia, who proved her virtue by
pulling off from a shoal on the Tiber the stranded vessel containing
the image of Cybele, is told by Liv. 29. 14, Ov. Fast. 4. 305-328.
52. turritae, because Cybele's head was surmounted by a
crown embattled in the shape of a fortress.
rara, 'incomparable.' A favourite word with Propertius.
53. See Dion. Hal. 2. 67. The Vestal Aemilia having suffered
the holy flame to go out, rekindled it, after prayer, by throwing on
the ashes a fragment of her garment. Plessis reads iam distinctos
for commissos.
cul, to be taken with exhibuit.
xeposceret, ' demanded as a right,' because it was the duty of
the Vestals to keep the fire alive.
55. dulce caput, ' dear heart.' See above on 1. 10.
56. Hertz, quotes the common character given to wives on
inscriptions :
De qua vir nil doluit nisi mortem.
57. lander lacrimis. Postgate well compares Consol. Liv. 209
Et voce et lacrimis laudasti, Caesar, alumnum ;
and 1. 465.
50, 60. dignam vixisse . . . Zncrepat, either 'complains
that she, who was worthy, etc., is no more,' or ' passionately de-
clares that she has lived worthy of.' In the latter interpretation
dignam has more force. Cp. 3. 10. 10
PROPERTIUS, IV. II., 49-65. 365
Increpet absumptum nee sua mater Ityn.
60. ire, scarcely, ' fall : ' rather ' go forth,' 'have their course,'
'flow,' as in 3. I. 8
Exacto pumice verms eat,
where see note
ire deo. So Consol. Liv. 209
lacrimas elicuique deo.
61. vestis, supposed to refer to a robe of honour presented to
matrons who had borne three children : Dion. Cass. 55. 2. The
phrase stolatae feminae on inscriptions has been held to refer to this
distinction.
62. Nee mea . . . rapina, ' I was not snatched.'
63. Her two sons: the elder, consul A. D. I, was called L.
Aemilitis Paullus ; the younger was called M. Aemilius Lepidus,
and was consul A. D. 6. The elder brother, apparently, took the
cognomen of his distinguished grandfather, Z.. Aemilius Lepidus,
65. Her brother, P. Cornelius Scipio, was consul B. c. 16, and
had therefore presumably filled two curule offices previously, the
curule aedileship and the praetorship. Tempore means ' betimes.'
or 'just at the right moment.' (Cp. the similar use of loco.) Having
seen her brother occupy two curule offices, and finally elected to the
consulship, she was 'felix opportunitate mortis.' Tempore might
also mean ' too soon ' ; or again simply 'just at that time,' ' at the
very moment" ( = ipso tempore), i.e. when he had been elected
consul, and before he had actually held the office.
Paley explains the line as ' a brief or rather a confused way of
expressing qui cum consul factus esset, eo tempore rapta est soror
eius, or cuius consulatus tempore rapta est soror y' or else with
Hertzberg would make tempore an ablative of the instrument.
Munro, Jonrn. of Phil. vol. 6. p. 62, declares the former view
meaningless, the latter out of place, and proposes
Consule quo, festo tempore rapta soror.
Postgate reads laeto, which has the same meaning. But the idea of
either word is out of place here : she is narrating bare facts in this
passage, in a tone of pride, not of grief, and the pathetic reference
to her dying in a time of joy is uncalled for. Another solution is
more probable. I would suggest that qtto is used here, by a kind
of confusion, in a double construction, to be taken both with consule
and with tempore : ' At which time, just as he had been made con-
sul, his sister was carried off,' or ' Who having been made consul
just at that time, his sister was carried off.' Horace is extremely
fond of placing words in positions where they are meant to be
366 A'OTES,
taken in a double, or even threefold, construction, as in Od. 3.
8. 20
Medus infestus sibi luctuosis
Dissidet armis,
where the force of the line is intensified by the fact that sibi may be
taken, and is intended to be taken, with all the three words in-
festus, luctuosis, Dissidet.
67. Appears to imply that her daughter was born in the year
of her father's censorship. On what ground does Postgate translate
specimen as ' a mirror ' ? It rather means a sample, by which a thing
may be seen or known : so Plaut. Most. I. 2. 51 of an illustration,
Turn specimen cernitur quo eveniat aediftcatio.
69. serie, i. e. by carrying on the line unbroken.
fulcite. Each son was a ' prop ' to the house : see Postgate's
illustrations.
70. The MS. readings uncturis or nupturis, and malts, are
clearly out of place : but I cannot see that Postgate's facta is an im-
provement. Mea fata is quite a Propertian expression, used widely
to denote her lot and position as a whole, including not only her
death ( = me mortuam, Schultze), but her life, her family, and all
the circumstances of honour which she has just enumerated. ' I set
forth in Charon's bark without regret, knowing that my own (i.e.
children or family) will add yet more to my many titles to dis-
tinction.' It is surely inappropriate for a Roman matron to boast
of her many deeds : but not of the many elements of honour with
which fate had surrounded her. For azigere facta in this sense
Postgate compares Tib. i. 7. 55
quae facta parentis Augeat :
but the facta, in that passage, are the exploits of a Messala.
Another interpretation, however, may be suggested. Tot may be
taken with meis : she is addressing her children, and has just ex-
horted them to continue the race, Et serie fulcite genus. She may
well add, ' I die willingly, leaving so many children behind me
who will add fresh lustre to my name and life.' Nor would it be
impossible for fata here to mean ' death,' as elsewhere : ' my children
will add fresh glory to my death,' i. e. ' to me after I am dead and
gone,' ' to me even after death.'
71. eztrema, ' the highest, crowning reward.'
72. emeritum rogrnm, ' the pyre of one who has served her (or
his) time.' The highest honour a woman can attain is that, having
lived her full time, she should receive praise at her death. But
perhaps it is simpler to interpret emeritum as ' well-won.'
PROPERTIUS, IV. II., 67-85. 367
nbl, referring to Haec 1. 71. The more usual construction
would be ut with the subjunctive = ' namely that.' Haec . . . ubi
' In these cases, namely where.'
74. Hertz, well compares Cic. Verr. 2. 1. 44 Cwr hunc dolorem ci-
nerieius atque ossibus inussisti? The confusion of metaphor is natural,
but glaring; inusta must refer to branding, as adusta in 3. n. 40
Una Philippeo sanguine adusta nota,
the idea being suggested by cineri. ' To brand upon ashes ' would
be absurd : but the absurdity is relieved by the ancient idea that the
ashes of the dead still live and feel, as in 2. 13. 42
Non nihil ad verum conscia terra sapit.
To suppose that spirat refers to the quivering flame (' - ;),' Postgate)
seems farfetched, and introduces the new incongruity of the flame
being itself branded or burnt in.
72-102. An exquisite passage ; full of simple feeling, true to
human nature, and breathing a tenderness and delicacy worthy of
the noblest type of womanhood.
75. maternis vicibus, ' the part of a mother : ' the plural, as
in Quint. Inst. proem. 4 quando divisae professionum -vices essent.
80. oscula falle. Fallere aliquid, as we have seen above
4. 4. 20, means ' to exhibit deceit or treachery about something ; '
so here, 'give a feigned character to thy kisses,' siccis gents, 'by
(presenting) dry cheeks : ' 'let thy dry cheek disguise the character of
thy kisses,' i. e. he was not to show, by the passionate nature of his
kiss, that there was more in it than a mere father's affection for his
children. A touch absolutely true to nature. Who has not seen, in
a similar case, the tears for a lost love pouring themselves out upon
the children? The words doubtless might mean 'Be false to, or
cheat, their kisses by dry eyes (or cheeks),' i.e. do not let them see
that you have been weeping, but meet their caresses by a show of
indifference.
81. The nights, as though they were persons, are worn out by
Paullus' lamentations : cp. Virg. Aen. 8. 94 and Val. Flac. Aug. 5.
602 Marie diem noctemque fatiget. Still more strongly Sil. Ital. 1 2.
496 curasfatig at.
82. in faciem credita, ' which you deem to assume my form,'
' wrought by your fancy into my form.'
84. He is not to speak on continuously, but to wait after
each verbum for an answer.
85. Sen corresponds tojeu 1. 91. She now turns to her chil-
dren, and prepares them for a double alternative : their father
marrying again, or remaining as he is.
368 NOTES.
tamen marks the contrast between the devotion to her contem-
plated in the preceding lines and the possibility of a second marriage.
adversum, because the lectus genialis was placed in the atrium
facing the door. The door is here said to change the bed, either
because it saw the change, or because the beds, old and new, had to
pass through it. Propertius allows himself great latitude in his choice
of a subject for a sentence.
86. canta, implying rather the quality needed, than that
necessarily exhibited, by a stepmother.
87. 'Speak well of and put up with.' Either one of these two
by no means necessarily implies the other.
90. Vertet in offensas suas, 'will turn or interpret them into
(i. e. as intended for) an attack upon herself,' or perhaps better, ' as
implying hatred of her.'
92. tanti, i.e. as to abstain from re-marriage.
93. sentire, they are to put themselves in their father's place,
and actually to feel, as he feels, all that coming age brings with it.
iam nunc, as usual, anticipatory of the future : ' begin at
once to.'
94. ad, 'to meet:' nee vacet ulla via, 'let no path be un-
trod,' or 'unguarded,' or, as we might say, 'let no stone be un-
turned.' Prof. Palmer would translate, ' Let no road be open for
him to arrive at the troubles of a bachelor.'
95. There is perhaps more here than the idea of Ov. Met. 7. 168
Denie meis annis, et demptos adde parenti,
that the years of life taken from her might be added to make theirs
longer. Rather she prays that her young children may have the tact
and steadiness of a greater age given them, that they may be a com-
fort to their father. ' May the age that I have lost be added to
you : so may offspring of mine bring joy to Paullus' old age,' i. e.
because of the comfort they would be to him. That they should
survive their father was only natural, and needed no special prayer.
97, 98. ' I die happy : I never lost a child : not one of you is
absent from my funeral.'
99. Causa perorata est. Almost a technical form for the
ending of a speech.
100. humus, apparently ' the underworld,' and especially the
judges before whom she has been pleading. Propertius is fond of
using such words as humus, cinis, rogus, etc., to denote any of the
consequences of, or conditions subsequent to, death.
101, 102. I. e. some have been raised to heaven by their virtues :
she will be satisfied if she be deemed worthy of an honourable burial.
THE PLEA OF CORNELIA.
(PROPERTIUS : "/., iv. u.)
CEASE, Paullus, cease ! thy fruitless tears withhold ;
Unto no prayer will Hell's dark gates unfold !
From Death's dim bourne none cometh forth again ;
Grief beats th' impenetrable bars in vain.
Tho' Dis should hearken, in his gloomy hall,
The deaf shores drink whatever tear-drops fall.
Prayers may to heaven and heavenly gods aspire,
But, when hell's ferryman hath ta'en his hire,
The dark gate seals the legacy of fire.
That truth sad trumpets pealed, when kindling flame
Dropped through the bier the ashes of my frame
Mine Scipio's child and Paullus' consort hailed,
Mother of noble children what availed ?
Found I, for all my fame, the Fates less stern?
Light dust am I, a handful in an urn !
Ye nights of hell ! ye fens and marshes gray,
And snakelike streams that wind about my way !
Untimely have I come, yet guiltless all
Lord of the Dead, soft let thy sentence fall !
If Aeacus, if judgment here there be,
Let urn and scroll speak justice' doom on me ;
Judge sit by judge let Minos' throne be nigh,
And the stern court, and Furies' company.
Bb
370 THE PLEA OF CORNELIA,
Rest, Sisyphus ! forego thy stone and hill ;
Ixion, let thy whizzing wheel be still !
The cheating wave let Tantalus recall ;
Let Cerberus no passing ghost appal ;
Hell's bolt be silent, and its chain let fall !
Lo, mine own cause I plead ! If false my plea,
Hard weigh the Danaids' urn of doom on me !
If trophied spoils bring heritage of fame,
Speak, Spain and Afric, of my grandsires' name !
Well matched with them may stand my mother's line,
And Scipio's stock with Libo's race combine.
Then, when I passed from maiden unto bride,
And wedlock's snood my virgin tresses tied,
Till death should part, to Paullus' side I came
Wife to one only be my funeral fame !
Dead sires ! whose threshold carven busts adorn
And conquered Afric's figure, slavelike shorn
Bear witness from your ashes to your home
Those ashes, worthy of thy worship, Rome !
Bear witness, Perses ! all thy breast on fire
To match Achilles' self, thy godlike sire
Thou too, whose valour shattered from its base
That home of Perses' and Achilles' race
That ne'er, for sin of mine, was law made tame,
Nor blushed our household for Cornelia's shame.
Thro' me no stain on our renown could come
Me, crown and model of our glorious home !
I walked unswerving, held a stainless fame,
From wedding torch to funeral, the same.
For Nature wrought for me a law within
Thou shalt not shun the judgment, but the sin.
What urn soever shall my doom decide,
No woman e'er shall blush to seek my side :
Not thou, O Claudia, who with spotless hand
THE PLEA OF CORNELIA. 371
Didst hale the ling'ring galley from the strand,
Cybelle's bark thou matron of renown,
Servant of Her who wears the turret-crown !
Not she who erst, when anger'd Vesta came,
From stainless robe relit th' entrusted flame.
Thou too, dear heart, -Scribonia, mother mine!
Ne'er have I grieved thee. If thy soul repine,
Say this no more Too short a date was thine.
Tears, true as thine, the weeping city gave,
And Caesar sighed detraction from my grave.
The mother of my Julia "was thine,
He said ; thy life was worthy of my line
Farewell! and tears fell from his eyes divine.
Mine too it was, the honoured stole to gain ;
Nor from a barren wedlock was I ta'en.
Ah sons, my twofold solace after death
Propped on your bosoms I resigned my breath !
Brother, twice throned in power ! the self-same day
Saw thee made consul and me rapt away.
Child, pride of Paullus' censorship begun,
Live thou like me, love one and only one.
Loyal to one, keep thou thy bed unstained,
And by thine offspring be our line maintained!
My race shall glorify my name and now
Loosed be the death-boat I am lief to go !
Of woman's fame, this is the highest crown,
When praised, and freed, and dead, we hold Renown.
Guard, Paullus, guard the pledges of our love
My very dust that ingrained wish can move !
Father thou art, and mother must thou be,
Unto those little ones bereft of me.
Weep they ? give twofold kisses, thine a,nd mine,
Solace their hearts, and both our loves combine ;
And if thou needst must weep, go, weep apart
B b 2
372 THE PLEA OF CORNELIA.
Let not our children, folded to thine heart,
Between thy kisses feel thy tear-drops start.
Enough, for love, be nightlong thoughts of me,
And phantom forms that murmur I am she.
Or, if thou speakest to mine effigy,
Speak soft, and pause, and dream of a reply.
Yet if a presence new our halls behold,
And a new bride my wonted place shall hold
My children, speak her fair, who pleased your sire,
And let your gentleness disarm her ire ;
Nor speak in praise of me your loyal part
Will turn to gall and wormwood in her heart.
But, if your father hold my worth so high,
That lifelong love can people vacancy,
And solitude seem only love gone by,
Tend yc his loneliness, his thoughts engage,
And bar the avenues of pain to age.
I died before my time add my lost years
Unto your youth, be to his heart compeers ;
So shall he face, content, life's slow decline,
Glad in my children's love, as once in mine.
Lo, all is well ! I ne'er wore garb of woe
For child or husband : I was first to go.
Lo, I have said ! Rise, ye who weep ; I stand
In high desert, worthy the Spirit Land.
Worth hath stormed heaven ere now ; this, this I claim
To rise, in death, upon the waves of Fame.
E.D.A.M.
INDEX TO THE NOTES.
ab, of the point ' from which,' T.
2. I. 56.
ab, = ' after,' P. 3. i. 24.
ab, = ' coming from ' or ' away
from,' P. 3. 1 8. i.
ab, denoting the cause,P. 3. 1 1. 24.
abiectus, P. i. 14. i.
ablative of circumstance, P. 2.
12. 6,3.3. 43.
ablative of condition,"! 1 . 2. 5. 105.
ablative of description, P. 3. 4. 5.
ablative of place, P. 4. 3. 10.
ablative of quality, P. 3. i. 31.
acerbus, T. i. 3. 55.
Acheron, T. i. 3. 56.
Achilles, P. 2. I. 37.
Achilli, genitive, P. 4, n. 39.
acinus, T. i. 10. 21.
Acroceraunia, P. I. 8. 19.
acta, P. 2. 13. 1 8.
Actium, P. 4. 6. 1 8.
ad, T. i. jo. 5 ; P. 4. 6. 70, 4. 11.
2,4. 11.94.
adamas, P. 3. II. 9.
addico, P. 3. n. 2.
addictus, P. 3. n. 2.
additus, P. 4. 4. 35.
adopertus, P. 2. 28. 45.
adverb, equivalent to adjective,
T. 2. 5. 53.
Aeaous, P. 4. II. 19.
Aegyptus, T. i. 3. 79.
Aelia Galla, P. 4. 3 intr.
Aemilius Macer, T. 2. 6 intr.
Aemilius Paullus, P. 4. II. 39.
aeqno, P. 3. 2. u.
Aesculapius, P. 2. I. 61.
Aeson, P. 2. i. 54, 3. u. 12.
aetas, P. 4. n. 45.
aevum, P. 3. 2. 23.
Africus, P. 4. 3. 47.
Aganippe, P. 2. 10. 25.
ago, P. i. 22. 5, 3. 7. 30.
Alba longa, T. 2. 5. 41. '
Alcmaeon, P. 3. 5. 41.
Alcyone, P. I. 17. 2.
alienus, P. I. 8. 18.
alludo, P. 3. 1 8. i.
Aloidae, T. 2. 5. 9 ; P. 2. I. 19.
Althaea, P. 3. 22. 31.
Amalthea, T. 2. 5. 67.
amat, P. 2. i. 58.
Ambarvalia, T. I. i. 21, 2. i intr.,
3. I. 2.
Amor, T. 2. 5. 39.
amores, P. i. 8. 45, 2. i. I.
amores, ' my darling,' P. 4. 4. 37.
amphora, T. i. 10. 48.
Andromeda, P. I. 17. 3, n. 28.
21, 3. 22. 29.
Antecanis, T. i. I. 27.
Antonius, L., P. i. 22. 3.
antra, P. 3. I. 5, 3. 2. 12.
Anubis, T. I. 7. 28; P. 3. u. 41.
Apis, T. i. 7. 28.
Apollo, T. 2. 5. 9.
Apollo Actiacus or Actius, P. 3.
11.69, 4- 6 - l8 -
Apollo citharoedus, P. 2. 31. 5.
Apollo, Palatine, P. 4. 6. n.
374
INDEX.
Apollo, Palatine, temple of, P. 2.
blandus, T. 3. 3. 2 ; P. i. 8. 40.
31 intr. ; T. 2. 5 intr.
bona, P. 2. 12. 4.
apposition to a sentence, P. 4. 6.
bonus for ' beautiful,' P. 2. 28. 12.
Bootes, P. 3. 5. 35.
apto, P. 3. 3. 36.
breeches, worn by Parthians, Per-
aptus, P. 3. 22. 42.
sians and Celts, P. 3. 4. 1 7.
Aqua Marcia, P. 3. 2. 12.
Britannicus, P. .2. i. 76.
aquaeductus, P. 3. 2. 12.
Britannus, P. 2. I. 76.
Aquitania, T. I. 7. 3.
bustum, P. i. 19. 21, 2. 13. 33.
Arabia, P. 2. 10. 16.
Arabian expedition, P. 3. 4 intr.
caecus, P. 4. 3. 53.
Arar, T. i. 7. n.
caelo miserit, T. 2. 5. 44.
Arctophylax, P. 3. 5. 35.
Caelus, T. i. 3. 69.
Arcturus, P. 3. 5. 35.
Calisto, P. 2. 28. 23.
Arethusa, P. 4. 3 intr.
Callimachus, P. 2. 31. I.
Argennum, P. 3. 7. 21.
Calliope, P. 2. i. 3, 3. 2. 14.
Argonauts, P. 3. 22. 13.
candidus, T. i. 7. 64, i. 10. 68;
Argutus, P. i. 1 8. 26.
P. 2. 3. 23, 3. ii. 16, 4. 6. 71.
Argynnus, P. 3. 7. 21.
candor, T. i. 7. 64.
Ascra, P. 2. 10. 25.
Canicula, T. I. I. 27.
assessus, P. 4. n. 50.
Canis, T. I. I. 27.
Assiduus, T. i. i. 3.
canistrum, T. i. 10. 27.
Assyrius, T. I. 3. 7.
Canopus, P. 3. n. 39.
asto, T. i. 10. 8.
Caphareus or Caphereus, P. 3. 7.
astrologers, T. i. 3. n.
38.
at, P. 3. i. 21.
capiti as an ablative, T. i. i. 72.
at conveying indignation, P. 3.
capitis poena, P. 2. i. 36.
18.7.
Capitolium, T. 2. 5. 9.
Atax, T. i. 7. 4.
caput, P. 2. i. 36, 3. 4. 20, 3. 7.
Athos, Mount, P. 2. i. 22.
4, 3-"- 3, 3- "8. 26, 4. n. 10,
Atracus, P. i. 8. 25.
4- " 55-
atratus, P. 2. I. 31.
carbasa, P. 4. 3. 64.
Attalicus, P. 2. 13. 23.
Career, P. 4. 4. 13.
Aturus, T. i. 7. 9.
Carnoti, T. i. 7. 12.
augurium, T. 2. 5. 11.
Carnutes, T. I. 7. 12.
Augustus, P. 2. i intr.
Carpathian Sea, P. 3. 7. 21.
Augustus, statue of, P. 2. 10. 13.
Carrhae, P. 2. 10. 13.
Autaricus, P. I. 8. 25.
Carystus, T. 3. 3. 14.
Avernus, P. 3. 18. 2.
casia, T. i. 3. 61.
cassida, P. 3. n. 15.
Bacchus and the Muses, connec-
Cassiope or Cassope, P. i. 17. 3.
tion between, P. 3. 3. 29.
Cassiopeia, P. I. 17. 3, 2. 28. 51,
Bactra, P. 3. I. 16, 3. n. 26.
3. 22. 29.
Baiae, P. 3. 18. 2.
Castalia, P. 3. 3. 13.
baris, P. 3. rr. 44.
causor, T. i. 3. 17.
bene, T. 2. i. 31.
celebro, T. I. 3. 33.
blanditiae, T. i. I. 72.
Celts, P. 3. 4. 17.
INDEX.
375
Centauri, P. 4. 6. 49.
cera, P. 4. 6. 3.
cerasta, P. 3. 22. 27.
Ceraunia, P. I. 8. 19.
certus, P. i. 8. 45.
changing of metaphor, P. 3. i. 9.
characteristic epithets, general
terms particularized by, P. 2.
12. 10.
Charon, T. 1.3. 56.
Chiron, P. 2. i. 59.
chorea, T. i. 7. 50.
Cimmerians, T. 3. 5. 24.
cista, T. i 7. 48.
citharoedus, P. 2. 31. 5.
citrus, P. 3. 7. 49.
civilis, P. 3. II. 55.
classica, P. 3. 3. 41.
classicum, T. i. i. 4.
classicus, P. 2. i. 28.
classis, T. i. i. 4.
Claudia, P. 4. n. 51.
coa vestis, P. 2. i. 6.
coctus, P. 3. ii. 22.
Cocytus, T. 1.3. 56.
cohors, T. i. 3. 2.
colus, T. 2. i. 64.
committo, P. 2. 3. 21, 4. 6. 53.
commoveo, P. 3. 22. 6.
communis sensus, P. 2. 1 2. 3.
compendium, T. i. 3. 39.
compono, P. 4. 6. 16.
concha, P. I. 8. 39.
conditus, T. I. i. 42 ; P. 4. 4. 3.
condo, P. 2. i. 42, 3. 7. 72, 4.
6. 16.
conopium, P. 3. 11. 45.
consido, P. i. 8. 25.
consitus, P. 4. 4. 3.
contendo, P. I. 14. 7.
convenio, P. 2. I. 41.
cor, P. 2. i. 36, 2. 12. 6.
corculum, P. 2. 12. 6.
Corcyra, T. I. 3. 3.
Corinna, P. 2. 3. 22.
Cornelia, P. 4. 1 1 intr.
Cornelius Scipio, P. 4. n. 65.
cornucopia, T. 2. i. 2.
corrumpo, P. I. 8. 21.
corymbus, T. i. 7. 45.
Croesus, P. 3. 5. 17.
crystal, P. 4. 3. 52.
Cupid, T. 2. 5. 39; P. i. 19. 5.
cura, P. I. 8. I, 2. I. 26, 2. 12. 4,
3- 7- 21.
Curetis, P. 4. 4. 9.
Curia Hostilia, P. 4. 4. 13.
Curius for Curiatius, P. 3. 3. 7.
curvo, P. 3. 22. 35.
Cybele, P. 3. 22. 3.
Cydnus, T. i. 7. 13.
cymbala, P. 3. 18. 6.
Cynthia, P. i. 8 intr.
Cyprus, P. 2. i. 31.
Cyzicus, P. 3. 22. 2.
dabant, imperf. tense, T. i. 3. 13.
Dalmatia, P. i. 8. 2.
damnatus, P. 4. 6. 21.
Danaids, P. 2. 31. 5.
Danaus, T. i. 3. 79.
dare, with an accusative equi-
valent to an intransitive verb,
P. 3. 4. 79 .
dare, with an adjective equi-
valent to a transitive verb,
P. 3. 4. 7 .
dative after verbs of motion, T.
2. i. 81, 2. 5. 44; P. 4. 4. 71.
dative in u, P. 2. 1. 66, 4. 6. 22.
Dativus Etbicus, T. 2. 5. 47,
2. 6. 31 ; P. i. 8. 2.
decolor, P. 4. 3. 10.
deditus, T. i. i. 26.
deduce, T. i. 3. 86.
deductns, P. 4. 3. 13.
defectus, T. 2. 5. 7..
deficio, P. 3. 5. 37.
deficio, impersonal, P. I. 8. 23.
defixus, P. i. 8. 15.
demens, P. 3. 3. 15.
depono, T. 2. I. 48.
desidero, T. I. i. 41.
desino, T. 2. 6. 41,
376
INDEX.
detineo, P. 2. 2. i.
detinuisse, perf. infin., T. 1. 1. 46.
Deus, applied to Augustus, P. 3.
4. i.
Deus Caesar, P. 3. 4. i.
dicere iura, P. 4. 4. n.
dies, time in the abstract, P. 3.
18. 16.
digero, P. 2. 31. 3.
Dindymus or Dindymis, P. 3.
22.3.
direct question, indicative with,
P. r. 8. 24.
discolor, P. 4. 3. 10.
discumbo, T. 2. 5. 95.
disjunct! veness, Propertins' ten-
dency to, P. 2. 13. 37.
dispendium, T. I. 3. 39.
disponens, P. 3. 5. 9.
dissoluo, T. i. 7. 2, i. 7. 40.
diverse, P. 3. 3. 33.
diversus, P. 3. 3- 33-
divination, T. i. 3. II.
divitiae, T. i. i. I.
dolia, T. 2. 5. 86.
domus, P. 3. 5. 26.
double construction, P. i. 22. 4,
4. 6. 33, 4. n. 65.
doves sacred to Venus, P. 3. 3. 31.
drinking cups, P. 3. 5. 4.
duco, T. i. 3. 45; P. i. 14. 9,
3. 2. 17, 3. 4.8, 3. ii. 25, 4.
6. 85.
Dulachium, P. 2. 2. 7.
dulcis, P. 3. 7. 45.
Dulichium, P. 2. 2. 7.
dnrus, P. 2. i. 41, 2. 28. 32.
duumviri sacrornm, T. 2. 5 intr.
Dyrrhachium, P. i. 8. 20.
eat, P. 3. 5. 38.
Echinades, P. 2. i. 7.
effero, P. 4. 6. 34.
effultus, P. 3. 7. 50.
egero, P. 4. 6. 34.
Egypt, T. i.
7 intr.
Egyptian Religion, T. i. 7. 27, 28.
Eleus, P. i. 8. 2 5.
elevo, P. i. 8. ii.
elision, rough, P. 3. 22. 9.
Elysium, T. I. 3. 56.
emeritus. P. 4. n. 72.
eo, 'to flow,' P. 3. i. 8, 4. ii. 60.
eo. 'to march,' P. 3. 5. 38.
Ephialtes, P. 2. i. 19.
epithets transferred, P. 3. 3. 48, 3.
7- 2.
equidem, P. 2. 31. 5.
Erebus, T. i. 3. 56.
ergo, P. 3. 3. 29, 3. 7. i
Erinna, P. 2. 3. 22.
erro, T. 2.6. 6.
Erythraeum litters, T. 3. 3. 1 7.
esseda, P. 2. i. 76.
et, abrupt beginning, P. i. 17. i.
Europe, P. 2. 28. 52.
evectus, P. 3. 3. 21.
eveho, P. 3. 7. 63.
evehor, with an accusative, P. 3.
3- 21.
evinctus, T. I. 7. 6.
ex, P. 2. 12. 12.
exactus, P. 3. I. 8.
exaequo, P. 4. ii. 31.
excanto, P. 3. 3. 49.
excido, P. 3. 7. 7.
excutio, T. 2. 6. 12.
exeo, with an accusative, P. 3. 5.
37-
exerceo, P. 3. 3. 34.
extremum funus, P. I. 17. 23.
extremus, P. I. 19. 2, 2. 2. 4.
facetus, P. 2. i. Q.
facilis, T. T. i. 8, i. i. 38, i. 3.
57. 3- 5- 3J p - 2 - J - 10 -
facio used absolutely, P. 3. i. 20.
fallo, P. 4. 4. 1 8, 4. ii. 80.
falsus, P. i. 8. 29, i. 19. 9.
farcio P. I. 8. 7.
fata, P. i. 19. 2, 4. ii. 70.
fatalis, T. i. 3. 53, 2. 5. 57.
fataliter. T. 2. 5. 57.
fatum, P. 2. i. 78.
INDEX.
377
favete linguis, T. 2. i. i.
felice, ablative, P. I. 8. 19.
felix, P. 4. 4. 3.
femina for feminea, P. 2. 31. 4.
feminine form of serta, P. 4. 6. 3.
fenus, T. 2. 6. 22.
Feriae Sementivae, T. 1. 1. 21.
ferio, P. 3. 3. 50.
ferire carmina, P. 2. I. 9.
fero, T. i. i. 20, i. 8. 28.
ferre tabellam, P. 4. n. 49.
fibra, T. 2. I. 26.
fictilis, T. i. i. 38.
fidem fallo, P. 3. 7. 36.
tides, P. i. 18. 18.
fingo, P. 3. I. 23, 3. 5. 7.
no, with dative and ablative, T.
2. 6. i.
flo, P. 3. 3. 42, 3. 7. 46.
focus, P. 3. 18. 12.
fortune-tellers, T. I. 3. n.
frangor, P. 2. 28. 34.
Fratres Arvales, T. 2. .1 intr.
fulcio, P. i. 8. 7, 4. ii. 69.
fulvns, T. 2. i. 88; P. 2. 2. 5.
fumidus, P. 3. 1 8. 2.
funera, P. 2. 31. 14.
funus, for a dead body, P. i. 17.
8, 2. 13. 34, 4. ii. 3.
Furiae, T. i. 3. 69 ; P. 4. 4. 68.
furor, nom. of predication, P. i.
18. 15.
fuscina, P. 3. 7. 62.
fuscus, P. 4. ii. 5.
fusus, T. 2. i. 64.
future for a softened imperative,
P. 2. 13. 27.
Galatea, P. i. 8. 18.
gemmeus, P. 3. 18. 20.
gems, ocean products, P. 3. 4. 2.
general terms particularized by
characteristic epithets, P. 2. 12.
10.
genialis dies, T. i.j. 49.
genialis torus, T. i . 7. 49.
genitive, objective, P. 4. II. 27.
genitive, of description, P. 3. 5. 8.
genitive, subjective, P. 3. 11. 31.
Genius, T. i. 7. 49.
Genius of women, T. i. 7. 49.
Geryon or Geryones, P. 3. 22. 9.
Giants, T. 2. 5. 9.
glarea, T. i. 7. 59.
Gnosius, P. 2. 12. 10.
Gorgades, P. 3. 22. 7.
Gorgons, P. 3. 22. 7.
Graecisms, T. I. 7. 20; P. 2. 3.
20, 2. 10. 23, 3. I. I 4 , 3. 5. 35.
gramen, P. 2. I. 53.
gravo, P. 3. 7. 70.
Greek forms of proper names, P.
2. 3. 21.
grottoes, haunts of the Muses, P.
3- i- 5-
gyros, P. 3. 3. 21.
habeo, P. 4. n. 13.
Haemonia, P. 2. 10. 2, 3. I. 26.
haruspicina, T. 2. 5. n.
hasta pura, P. 4. 3. 68.
Helle, P. 3. 22. 5.
Hercules, P. 3. 18. 6.
Hesperion, P. 3. 22. 7.
hie for ille, P. 3. n. 36.
Hippocrene, P. 3. i. 19, 3. 3. 13.
Hippolyte, P. 4. 3. 43.
Hirtius, P. 2. i. 27.
hisco, P. 3. 3. 4.
hodierae, T. i. 7. 53.
honor, T. i. 7. 53; P. 3. i. 22,
nor, 1. i. 7. 53; J
3.11.17,4.6.5.
ores, T. 1.7. 53.
hon>
Horace and Propertius com-
pared, P. 3. i intr.
Horatia pila, P. 3. 3. 7.
humus, P. 4. II. 100.
Hylaea, P. i. 8. 26.
Hylleus, P. i. 8. 26.
Hymen or Hymenaeus, P. 4.
3. 16.
lardanis, P. 3. ii. 17.
37
INDEX.
Ida, the Trojan and the Cretan,
P. 3. I. 27.
Idalium, P. 4. 6. 59.
idem, P. 2. i. 67.
igitur, P. i. 8. i, 2. 13. 17.
llion, P. 3. i. 32.
Ilium, P. 3. i. 32.
Illyria, P. T. 8. 2.
imago, P. i. 19. u.
imperfect tense, T. i. 3. 13.
improbus, P. 3. 7. 53, 4. n. 25.
in, T. i. 10. 5; P. 2. 10. 21.
in, with a verb of loving, P. 4.
3. 49, 2. 10. 21.
in ore esse, P. 3. 7. 18.
in rosa, P. 3. 5. 22.
Inachis, P. 2. 28. 17.
iste, P. i. 8. 3.
Isthmus, P. 3. 22. 2.
iteratus, P. 4. 3. 7.
iter mortis, P. 3. 7. 31.
iter soporis, P. 3. n. 54.
iugerum, T. i. i. 2.
lulian Harbour, P. 3. 18. i.
iungo, T. i. i. 69.
luno, T. T. 7. 4<>
iura, P. 3. R. 39.
iura dare, P. 3. 4. 4, 3. n. 46.
ius dicere, P. 3. 4. 4.
ius imaginum, P. 2. 13. 19.
juxtaposition of opposing epi-
thets, P. 4 . 4. 44.
ivy, sacred to Bacchus, P. 3. 3.35.
Ixion, T. i. 3. 73 ; P. 2. I. 37.
incedo, P. 2. I. 5, 2. 2. 6.
incipio, P. 3. 4. 16.
incolumis, P. 2. 12. n.
increpo, P. 4. n. 60.
India, P. 2. 10. 15.
indicative with indirect ques-
tion, P. i. 8. -24.
iners, P. I. 8. 10, 3. 7. 72.
infestus, P. i. 8. 16.
infinitive dependent on an ad-
jective, P. 2. 13. 28.
inflectere vocem, T. i. 7. 37.
ingero, T. i. i. 2.
ingredior, P. 3. 1. 3.
innocuus, T. 2. 5. 63.
innoxius, passive, T. 2. 5. 63.
Ixionides, P. 2. I. 37.
kilt, a Roman military dress.
P. 3- 4- 1 7-
kisses, T. 2. 5. 92.
Kronos, T. 2. 5. 9.
labor, T. i. i. 3.
lacunar, T. 3. 3. 16.
lacus, T. 2. 5. 86.
lances, P. 2. 13. 23.
lararium, T. I. i. 20, I. 10. 15.
Lares, T. i. i. 20, i. 10. 15.
latus claudere, T. 2. 6. 4.
Laurens ager, T. 2. 5. 41.
Laurentum, T. 2. 5. 41.
Ino, P. 2. 28. 19.
insero, T. I. i. 74.
insidians, P. 3. 7. 37.
insolitus, P. i. 8. 8.
intactus, P. 2. 10. 16.
intendo, P. i. 14. 5.
intonsus, T. 2. i. 34.
invidiosus, P. 2. i. 73.
10, P. 2. 28. 17.
lolcUS, P. 2. I. 54.
lope, P. 2. 28. 51.
irriguus, T. 2. i. 44.
Irus, P. 3. 5. 17.
Isis, T. i. 3. 23, i. 7. 27, 1.7. 28.
laus, T. i. i. 57.
Lavinium, T. 2. 5. 41.
lectum, T. i. i. 43.
lectus genialis, P. 4. 11. 85.
lentus, T. 3. 5. 30; P. 4. 3.39,
4. ii. 15.
leonine rhyme, P. I. 8. n.
Lepida, P. 4. 1 1 intr.
Lesbian wine, P. i. 14. 2.
Lethe, T. I. 3. 56.
Leucas, P. 3. 1 1 . 69.
levo, T. I. i. 44.
Liber, T. 2. i. 2.
Libera, T. 2. I. 2.
INDEX.
379
libo, T. I. i. 14; P. 4. 4. is.
Libones, P. 4. n. 31.
libum, T.I. j. 54.
Liburna, P. 3. n. 44.
Liger, T. I. 7. 12.
limen, P. i. 8. 22.
Lixus, P. 3. 22. 9.
long hands, P. 3. 7. 60.
Lucrinus Lacus, P. 3. 18. i.
ludi quinquennales, P. 4. 6 intr.
ludo, P. 3. 18. i.
lumina, a fire, P. 3. 4. n.
lustro, P. 2. 10. i.
L. Volcatius Tullus, P. 1. 14 intr.
Lycotas, P. 4. 3 intr.
Machaon, P. 2. i. 59.
madeo, T. 2. i. 29 ; P. 4. 4. 76.
madidus, P. 4. 4. 76.
Maecenas, P. 2. i intr.
Maeonius, P. 2. 28. 29.
magnus, of words, T. 2. 6. u.
male, T. i. 10. 51, 2. i. 30.
male cinctus, P. 4. 3. 62.
malum, T. 2. 5. 108.
malus, P. 3. 1 8. 22.
manes for cineres, P. 2. 13. 32.
manus, P. 2. 12. 2.
marbles, T. 3, 3. 13.
Marcellus, P. 3. 18. 13.
Marcellus, early death of, P. 3.
1 8 intr.
maritus as a participle, P. 4.
3- "
Marius, P. 2. I. 24, 3. 3. 44.
Marpessia, T. 2. 5. 67.
Marpessus, T. 2. 5. 67.
Mausolus, P. 3. 2. 19.
mea vita, P. 3. u. I.
Medea, P. 2. i. 54.
Meleager, P. 3. 22. 31.
mendum, menda, P. 2. I. 65.
Menoetiades, P. 2. 1. 37.
menstrua tura, T. I. 3. 34.
Mentor, P. i. 14. 2.
Mermessia, T. 2. 5. 67.
Mermessus, T. 2. 5. 67.
Meroe, P. 4. 6. 78.
Messalla, M. Valerius, T. i. i.
53, i. 7 intr., i. 7. 1 7, 2. 5 intr.
Messallinus, T. 2. 5 intr.
meus = ' favourable, 1 T. 3. 3. 28.
mico, T. i. 10. 12.
Minerva, T. 2. I. 65.
minium, P. 2. 3. n.
Minos, T. i. 3. 56.
misceo P. 3. 5. 15.
Misenus, P. 3. 18. 3.
missus for immissus, P. 3. T. 13.
mitto, P. 3. ii. 64.
modernisms, P. 3. 7. 3, 4. 6. 42.
mollis, P. 2. i. 2, 2.1. 41, 2. 28.
16, 3. i. 19, 3. 3. i, 3. 3. 18.
mollit, P. 4. 6. 10.
Mopsopus, T. i. 7. 54.
moror, P. I. 19. 2.
mors, for a dead body, P. 2.
13- 23-
Mount Corycus, P. 3. 7. 21.
Mount Dindymon or Dindyma,
P. 3. 22. 3.
Mount Mimas, P. 3. 7. 21.
Mount Oeta, P. 3. i. 32.
moveo, P. 3. 22 6.
multa aspera, P. i. 18. 13.
munera, P. 2. n. 3.
musea, P. 3. I. 5.
mustum, T. I. i. 10.
mutina, P. 2. i. 27.
Myron, P. 2. 31. 7.
mysticus, T. i. 10. 26.
nam, P. I. 8. 21, 3. 11. 27.
nam used elliptically, T. i. I. n.
Natalis Dies, T. i. 7. 49.
nato, P. 3. 7. 8.
ne for non in consecutive pro-
positions, P. 3. ii. 24.
ne = ut non, P. 3. 11. 24.
necforneu, P. 2. 13. 28.
nefanda loqui, T. 2. 6. 18.
nego, P. i. 8. 32.
Nemesis, T. 2. 5. in.
nervus, P. 3. 3. 4 , 3. 3. 35.
3 8
INDEX.
Neuricus, P. 4. 3. 8.
niger, T. I. 3. 71, 2. I. 90; P. 4.
6.83.
nigra hora, T. 3. 5. 5.
Nile, T. i. 7. 21, 28; P. 2. 1.32.
Nireus, P. 3. 18. 27.
nitidus, T. 2. i. 21.
nobiles, P. 2. 13. 19.
nominative for dative of the com-
plement, P. 3. 7. 13, 28,4. 1 1.43.
nominative of predication, P. I.
14. 18.
non for ne, T. 2. I. 9.
noster, P. 2. 12. 8.
nota, P. I. 18. 8.
novalis, or novale, T. 3. 3. 5.
nudus, P. 3. 5. 14.
nullae curae as dative, P. 3. 1 1 . 57.
numen, T. i. 3. 79-
numero, P. 3. 7. 17.
numerus, P. 2. 28. 55.
numina, of one Deity, T. i. 3. 79.
nusquam, P. 2. 12. 15.
oblitus, P. i. 19. 6, 4. 4. 22.
obstrepo, T. 2. i. 86 ; P. 4. 4. 4.
occupo, T. i. 10. 40.
Ocnus, P. 4. 3. 21.
Octavia, P. 3. 18. u.
Oeta, Mount, P. 3. i. 32.
olim, T. 3. 5. 23.
omens from lamps, P. 4. 3. 60.
omens, unlucky, P. 4. 3. 14.
omnis, accusative plural, is for es,
P. 2. 28. 29.
Omphale, P. 3. u. 17.
onyx, P. i. 14. 19, 2. 13. 30.
operor, T. 2. I. 9, 2. 5. 95.
Ops, T. 2. 5. 9.
optimus, P. 3. 18. II.
ora, P. 3. 3. 52.
ora parva, P. 3. 3. 5.
orbis, P. 3. i. 39.
organa, P. 3. 3. 29.
orgia, P. 3. i. 4, 3. 3. 29.
Oricum or Oricos, P. I. 8. 19,
3- 7- 49-
Ortus, T. 2. 5. 59.
Ortygia, P. 3. 22. 15.
Orythyia, P. 3. 7. 13.
Osiris, T. i. 7. 27, 28.
os magnum, P. 2. 10. 12.
os rotundum, 2. 10. 12.
ossa, P. i. 17. 12.
ostrum, P. i. 14. 20.
Otus, T. 2. 5. 9.
Ovid copied by Propertm?, P. 4.
3- 3-
Pactolus, T. 3. 3. 28.
Paetus P. 3. 7 intr.
Palatine Library, P. 3. i. 37.
Palilia, or Parilia, T. i. i. 21, i.
i. 3S. 2.5.87.
palla, T. i. 7. 46; P. 2. 31. 16.
pallia, P. 4. 3. 31.
Parilia, T. i. i. 35; P. 4 .4. 73.
Paris, P. 3. I. 30.
pariter, P. 3. i. 5.
pnro, P. i. 17. 13, 3. 5. 6.
Parlha for Parthica, P. 3. 4. 6.
Parthian cavalry, P. 2. 10. 13.
Parthians, Persians, and Medes
used indifferently, P. 3. n. 21.
Parthicus, P. 2. to. 13.
participle passive in place of the
adjective in -bilis, P. 3. 5. 3.
pasco, intransitive, T. 2. 5. 25.
Pasiphae, P. 2. 28. 52.
past participle for the adjective
in -bilis, P. 3. 5. 3, 4 11. 4.
pater, P. .q. 3. 6.
Pater for Juppiter, P. 4. 3. 47.
Patrocles, P. 2. i. 37.
patronymics of females, P. 3. u.
17-
Paullus, L. Aemilius, P. 3. 3. 8.
Pansa, P. 2. i. 27.
pecten, T. 2. i. 66.
Pectus, P. 3. 5. 8.
Pecunia as a Deity, P. 3. 7. i.
pegasides. P. 3. i. 19.
Pegasus, P. 3. i. 19.
Peirene, P. 3. I. 19, 3. 3. 13.
INDEX.
381
Pelasgus, P. 2. 28. 11.
Penates, T. i. i. 20; P. i. 22. i.
pentameter, trisyllabic ending of,
T. i. i. 50.
Penthesilea, P. 3. n. 14.
per, P. 4. 3. 20.
perfect for present, P. 3. 22. 13.
perf. infinitive, T. i. i. 29, i. i.
46, 2. 5. 52.
Perfects of Habit, T. 2. i. 73.
pergula, T. 2. i. 24.
Permessus, P. 2. 10. 25.
Perrhaebi, P. 3. 5. 33.
Perseus, P. 3. 22. 29, 4. n. 39.
Persian Gulf, P. 3. 4. 2.
Perusia, P. i. 22. 3.
Perusian War, P. i. 22. 3.
pes, P. 3. i. 6.
Phaeax for Phaeacus, P. 3. 2. n.
Phaedra, P. 2. i. 51.
Phaeto, T. 2. 5. 67.
Pharos, T. I. 3. 32; P. 2. I. 30.
Philadelphia, Ptolemy, P. 2.1. 30.
Philetas, P. 3. i. i.
Phineus, P. 3. 5. 41.
Phlegethon, T. i. 3. 56.
Phlegraei Campi, P. 2. i. 39.
Phorcis, P. 3. 22. 7, 8.
Phylacides, P. i. 19. 7.
pio, P. 3. 4 . 9.
Pirithous, P. 2. I. 37.
Pitys, P. i. 18. 20.
placeo, T. 2. 5. 35, 2. 5. 51.
plango, T. i. 7. 28.
Pleiades, P. I. 8. 10, 3. 5. 36.
poets, priests of the Muses, P. 3.
i. i.
Polydamas, P. 3. i. 29.
Pompeius for Pompeianns, P. 3.
1 1 . 60.
pono, T. i. 3. 85; P. 1. 17. n, a.
3. 17, 2. 13. 43-
Porta Trinmphalis, P. 2. i. 33.
positus, P. i. 8. 7.
posteritas, P. 3. i. 34.
posterus, P. 3. i. 34.
Postumus, P. 4. 3 intr.
pote, P. 3. 7 10.
potis, P. 3. 7. 10.
praeconia, P. 3. 3. 41.
praelia, of love, T. i . 3. 64.
praetexta, P. 4. n. 33.
praeveotus, P. i. 8. 19.
premo, T. I. 3. 40; P. 3. 18. 9.
present for perfect, P. 4. 4. 54.
present participle, P. 4. 6. 27.
pressus = oppressus, P. 3. 18. 9.
Priapus, T. i. i. n, I. I. 18.
pro, P. i. 22. 2.
Procyon, T. i. i. 27.
proferre, T. i. 10. I.
proletarius, T. i. i. 4.
propello, P. 3. 22. n.
proper names, variable quantity
of, P. 2. 10. 16.
provectus, P. i. 8. 14.
proximus, of merit, T. 3. 5. 3.
Ptolemaeus, P. 2. i. 30.
puer, P. i. 19. 5.
pulsa, T. i. I. 4.
pulvis, P. i. 22. 6.
pumex, P. 3. i. 8.
punicus, P. 3. 3. 32.
Pyramids, P. 3. 2. 17.
Pyrrhus, P. 3. n. 62.
Pythia, T. 2. 5. 63.
quaero ... si, P. 2. 3. 5.
quaesitus, P. 3. 2. 23.
qualiscunque, P. 3. I. 30.
quando for quandoquidem, P. 2.
10.8.
quare, P. i. 19. 25.
que, irregular position of, T. i.
i. 51, i. 3. 38, 56.
que, misplaced, T. 2. 5. 72, 86.
queror cum, T. 2. 6. 34.
quin, P. i. 8. 22.
quindecemviri, T. 2. 5 intr.
quis for aliquis, T. I. 10. 13.
quo ne = ne, P. 3. n. 24.
quod, ' whereas,' P. 3. 2. 9.
quolibet, P. i. 8. 4.
382
INDEX.
racemus, T. i. 10. 21.
radii, P. 4. 3. 34.
rapere in ius, P. 3. II. 27.
rarus, P. i. 8. 42, 4. II. 52.
rates, P. i. 8. 14.
ratis. P. i. 8. 14.
re, as prefix, P. 2. i. 71.
rectus, P. 3. 5. 10.
reddo, P. 2. I. 71, 3. 7. 25.
regere fines, T. I. 3. 44.
relevo, P. i. 14. 22.
remitto, T. 3. 5. 4.
repente with force of an adjec-
tive, T. i. 3. 50.
repetitions common in Prop.,
P. i. 8. 25, 3. 18. 21.
repono, P. i. 17. u.
reposco, P. 2. i. 71, 4. II. 53.
require, T. I. i. 41.
respicio, T. i. 3. 14.
Rhadamanthus, T. i. 3. f6.
rhombus, P. 2. 28. 35.
rising of the stars, the heliac,
P. i. 8. 10.
rising of the stars, the true, P. I.
8. 10.
rogus, P. 1. 19. 2.
Romula for Romulea, P. 4. 4. 26.
rosa, P. 3. 3. 36.
ruber, T. i. I. 17.
rudis, P. 3. 22. 13.
rumpere vocem, P. i. 8. 22.
rumpor, of envy, P. i. 8. 27.
sacra, P. 3. I. I.
St. Elmo's fire, P. I. 17. 18.
Samian Sibyll, T. 2. 5. 67.
Santones, T. i. 7. 10.
Saturnia, T. 2. 5. 9.
Satumi dies, T. i. 3. 18.
Saturnus, T. 2. 5. 9.
savin, P. 4. 3. 58.
Scamander, P. 3. i. 27.
scamnum, P. 3. 3. 19.
sceleratus, T. I. 3. 67.
sceptra, P. 4. 6. 58.
Scironian rocks, P. 3. 22. 38.
Scribonia, P. 4. 1 1 intr. , 4 . 1 1 . 3 1 .
Scribonius Libo, P. 4. n. 31.
securus, T. 2. i. 46; P. 2. 12. u.
sed, P. 2. 10. i.
sed, repetition of, T. I. 7. 4^.
seges, T. i. 3. 61.
Stmele, P. 2. 28. 27.
Sementiva, T. 2. i. 5.
Semiramis, P. 3. n. 20.
sensus, P. 2. 1 2. 3.
sepositus, T. 2. 5. 8.
seres, P. 4. 3. 8.
series, T. i. 3. 63.
sevectus, P. 3. 3. 21.
shaving introduced into Rome,
T. 2. i. 34.
short final syllable before sc, sp,
st, sq, P. 3. II. 53.
si with the indicative, P. 3. 1 1 ,
49. 4- 3- 2 -
Sibylla Cumana, T. 2. 5. 67.
Sibylla Erythraea, T. 2. 5. 67.
Sibyllina Oracula, T. 2. 5 intr.
Sibylline Books, T. 2. 5 intr.
Sicambri or Sugaml ri, P. 4. 6. 77.
sic ... ut, in vows and adjura-
tions, T. 2. 5. 65.
silex, T. i. 7. 59.
Silvanus, T. i. i. n, 2. p. 30.
Simois, P. 3. i. 27.
si in ind. question, P. 3. 5. 40.
si qua, P. 2. 3. 15, 2. 10. 17.
Sirius, T. i. i. 27.
sistrum, T. i. 3. 24; P. 3. n. 43.
Sisyphus, T. i. 3. 56.
situs, T. j. 10. 50.
sive . . . sive, construction of, P.
2. i. 5.
smaragdus. T. I. 1/51.
Solfatara, P. 2. i. 39.
solito, P. i. 17. 3.
sollicito, T. i. 7. 30.
soothsayers, T. i. 3. u.
Sorores.ofthe Muses, P. 3. i. 17.
sortes, T. i. 3. n. 2. 5. u
sortior, P. 4. n. 20.
specimen, P. 4. u. 67.
INDEX.
3*3
spectare,used absolutely, P. 3.4. 1 5 .
Spes, T. I. I. 9.
spica cilissa, P. 4. 6. 74.
spinning, T. 2. I. 64.
spiritus, P. 2. 3. 2.
springs sacred to the Muses, P. 3.
V 3-
stans, P. 4. 6. 27.
Statuae Mari, P. 3. n. 46.
Statue of Augustus, P. 2. 10. 13.
stemmata, P. 2. 13. 19.
sterno, P. 2. 3. 23.
stimulus, T. I. I. 30.
sto, T. 2. 5. 98; P. 3. 3.44, 3.5.2,
3.18.15, 3. 22. 22,4. 11.4.
stringo, P. 3. n. 24.
Strymonis, P. 4. 4. 72.
Styx.T. i. 3. 56.
subductus, P. 2. 10. 9.
subjunctive mood, T. I. i. 3.
subtemen, T. i. i. 66.
subtraho, P. 3. 7. 65.
succinctus, P. 4. 3. 62.
suffusus, T. 2. i. 55.
Suovetaurilia, T. 2. i intr.
supero, P. 3. 5. 29.
surdus, P. 4. 3. 53.
sustineo, P. 3. 2. i.
suus = favourable, T. 3. 3. 28;
P. 4. 4. 81.
Synnada, T. 3. 3. 13.
Syphax, P. 3. n. 61.
Syria, T. I. 7. 18.
Syrius, P. 2. 13. 30.
tabella, T. I. 3. 28 ; P. 4. 11. 49.
taeda, P. I. 8. 21.
Taenarum, T. 3. 3. 14.
talaria, P. 2. 12. 6.
Tantaleus, P. 2. i. 66.
Tantalis, P. 2. 31. 14.
Tantalus, T. i. 3. 56, I. 13. 77;
P. 2. i. 66.
tanti, P. 4. ii. 92.
taiiti ut, P. 4. 3. 63.
Tarbelli, T. i. 7. 9.
Tarpeia, P. 4. 4 intr.
Tartarus, T. I. 3. 56.
tela, T. 2. i. 66.
Telephus, P. 2. i. 61.
tempero, P. 3. 5. 15, 3. 22. 16.
Temple of Palatine Apollo, T. 2.
5 intr. ; P. 2. 31 intr.
tempore, P. 4. n. 65.
teneo, T. i. i. 20; P. 2. 10. 14.
tener, T. i. I. 46, I. 10. 16,
2. 6. 30.
teneram, T. i. 7. 30.
tenuis, P. 3. I. 8.
tenuisse, T. I. i. 29.
tenuo, P. 3. i. 5, 4. 3. 27.
ter, a mystic number, P. 4. 6. 30.
terebinthus, P. 3. 7. 49.
Terminus, T. i. I. n.
terra = ' the body,' P. 3. 7. 9.
testa. T. i. 10. 48.
Theophania, T. i. 7. 28.
Theseus, P. 2. i. 37.
Oia or Ovia, P. 3. 7. 49.
tibia, T. 2. i. 86.
Tiburnus, P. 3. 22. 23.
tigna, P. 4. 6. 50.
Tisiphone, T. 1.3. 69.
Titans, the, T. 2. 5. 9.
Tityos, T. i. 3. 75.
'iityus, T. i. 3. 56.
toga, P. 4. ii. 33.
Tombs of the Romans, P. 2.
ii. 5.
tonsus, P. 4. II. 38.
torus, T. I. I. 43.
toto, as dative, P. 3. ii. 57.
trabes, T. 3. 3. 16.
tractus, P. 4. 3. 5.
traho, P. i. 14. 9, 3. 7. 40, 52,
3- " 54-
traicio, P. i. 19. 12, 3. 18. 31.
trames, P. 3. 22. 24.
trichila, T. 2. i. 24.
tristis, P. i. 14. 1 6.
trisyllabic ending of pentameter,
T. i. i. 50.
Triumph, P. 2. i. 33.
Troia, P. 3. i. 32.
384
INDEX.
tuba, P. 2. 13. 20.
Tullianum, P. 4. 4. 13.
Tullus, L. Volcatius, P. 3. 2 2 intr.
Tullus, P. i. 14 intr., i. 22 intr.,
3. 22 intr.
tumultus, P. 2. 10. 7.
turba, P. 3. 3. 24.
turbo, P. 3. 3. 24.
turbo, 'a reel,' P. 2. 28. 35.
turpis, T. i. 10. 36.
tutela, P. 4. 4. 69.
tutus, P. 2. 12. ii.
tympana, P. 3. 3. 28.
Tyro, P. 2. 28. 51.
ubi, T. 2. 5. 83.
ullus, P. i. 19. 26.
urgeo, P. 4. ii. i.
urna, P. 4. ii. 19.
uro, T. n. 6. 5 ; P. 4. 3. 23.
tiva, T. i. 10. 21.
vaco, P. 4. 6. 14.
vacuus, P. i. 8. 15.
vadum, P. 2. i. 22.
vagus, T. 2. 6. 3 ; P. 3. ii. 51.
valeat, P. 3. I. 7.
vanus, P. i. 8. 29.
varius, T. i. 10. 10.
ve, irregularposition of, T. 1.1.51.
vela, P. 3. 1 8. 13.
Velabrum, T. 2. 5. 33.
velificatus, P. 2. 28. 40.
ventosus, P. 2. 12. 4.
verba queror, P. i. 8. 22.
verbena, P. 4. 3. 57.
vereor, P. i. 19. i.
Vergiliae, P. i. 8. 10.
versicolor, P. 3. 7. 50.
versus, P. 3. 3. 10.
Vesanus, P. i. 8. 5.
vescor with accusative, T. 2. 5.64.
Vesta, T. i. i. 20.
vetus, T. i. 10. 18 ; P. 3. i. 23.
vetustas, P. 3. i. 23.
via, P. 3. 1 8. 34.
via, of a march, T. i. i. 26, 51.
via animi, T. i. 10. 4 ; P. 3.7.31.
ViaAppia.T. 1.7.57.
Via Flaminia, T. i. 7. 57.
Via Herculis, P. 3. 18. i.
Via Latina, T. i. 7. 57.
via mortis, T. i. 10. 4.
Via Sacra, P. 3. 4. 21.
viae, P. i. 8. 30.
viae fortunae, P. 3. 7. 31.
viae, in plural, of a voyage, T. i.
3- 14-
vicibus, P. 4. ir. 75.
vigilo, P. 2. 3. 7.
vindico in, P. 4. ii. 20.
Vinum Caecubum, T. 2. i. 27.
Vinum Calenum, T. 2. i. 27.
Vinum Falernum, T. 2. i. 27.
Vinum Gauranum, T. 2. I. 27.
Vinum Massicum, T. 2. I. 27.
Vinum Setinum, T. 2. i. 27.
Virgil, pathos of, P. 3. 18 intr.
vitium, P. 2. i. 65.
vitta, P. 4. ii. 34.
vocare manu, P. 1.8. 16.
vocative for nom. oracc.,P.i.8. 19.
vota, P. 4. 3. 17.
voti compos, T. i. 10. 23.
voti reus. T. i. 10. 23.
votum, T. i. 10. 23.
vowel, short before sp, P. 4. 4. 48.
Winds, chart of (p. 335), P. 4.
3.48.
words placed in a double con-
struction, P. 3. i. 13.
zeugma, T. 3. 3. 2 1 .
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