[859] There is a difficulty about ‘suspendet patri Quirino,’ as the story was that Romulus, the author of the custom, dedicated the first ‘spolia opima’ to Jupiter Feretrius. Serv. explains it by referring to a law of Numa's, which is said to have enjoined that on the first winning of ‘spolia opima’ they should be offered to Jupiter Feretrius, as had been already done by Romulus; on the second to Mars, which was done by Cossus; on the third to Quirinus. Livy however, 3. 20, distinctly speaks of the ‘spolia opima’ of Cossus as dedicated to Jupiter Feretrius: and Prop. 5. 10. 45 talks of “spolia in templo tria condita.” Serv. proposes as an alternative to separate ‘patri’ from ‘Quirino,’ taking ‘patri’ of Jupiter, and connecting ‘capta Quirino,’ formerly won by Romulus, which is sufficiently unlikely. For ‘tertia’ Rom. has ‘tristia.’
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John Conington. P. Vergili Maronis opera. P. Vergili Maronis Opera. The works of Virgil, with a Commentary by John Conington, M.A. Late Corpus Professor of Latin in the University of Oxford. London. Whittaker and Co., Ave Maria Lane. 1876.
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