[234] Moenia appears to be the buildings within the ‘murus’ (“Moenia lata videt triplici circumdata muro,” 6. 549), so that when a breach was made in the ‘murus’ (probably close to the Scaean gate, so as to enlarge it, as Heyne says), the ‘moenia’ would be laid open. Where used generally the word seems nearly equivalent to the city, considered as a strong place. So “media per moenia ducit,” 4. 74.
[235] This intransitive use of ‘accingo’ is quite after the manner of Virg.; but he does not use the word intransitively elsewhere, as in 11. 707 “te” is supplied from the previous clause. Non. p. 469 quotes from Pomponius, “dum ego revertor, age, anus, accinge ad molas.” The Balliol MS. has ‘accingunt se omnes.’ In Quinct. Smyrnaeus and Tryphiodorus wheels are attached to the horses' feet, as made by Epeus. ‘Rotarum lapsus:’ “τρόχων βάσεις,” Soph. El. 718.
[236] Vincula intendunt, like “vincula tende,” G. 4. 399, the verb itself not meaning ‘to bind,’ but ‘to stretch,’ though it is frequently used in connexions where binding is spoken of, e. g. 4. 506., 5. 403 (notes). So perhaps Act. Apost. 22. 25, ὡς δὲ προέτειναν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἱμᾶσι. We need not however suppose the rope to have been twisted round the neck, but simply thrown over it (Forb. after Henry). ‘Stuppea vincula:’ κλωστοῦ ἀμφιβόλοις λίνοισι, Eur. Tro. 537.
[237] Scandit. “Saltu super ardua venit Pergama,” 6. 515, after Ennius, Alex. fr. 11, “Nam maxumo saltu superabit gravidus armatis equus, Qui suo partu ardua perdat Pergama,” who perhaps followed Aesch. Ag. 825 foll., ἵππου νεοσσός, ἀσπιδηστρόφος λεώς, Πήδημ᾽ ὀρούσας ἀμφὶ Πλειάδων δύσιν: Ὑπερθορὼν δὲ πύργον ὠμηστὴς λέων. In that case a fact has probably been created out of a metaphor, as Virg. evidently means that the horse was heaved over broken walls.
[238] Feta armis: Eur. Tro. 11, ἐγκύμον᾽ ἵππον τευχέων. Besides the passage just quoted from Ennius, Lucr. 1.476 has “Nec clam durateus Troianis Pergama partu Inflammasset equus nocturno Graiugenarum.” Κοῖλον λόχον, Od. 4. 277., 8. 515, is of course the lurking-place, but it is just possible that Eur. may have misunderstood it, as he certainly has misunderstood the epithet δουράτεος (comp. Od. 8. 493, 507, with Eur. Tro. 14). But the metaphor is natural enough. ‘Pueri:’ the description, as Cerda remarks, is probably taken from the Roman “tensae” (Dict. A.), which were escorted by senators and boys (“patrimi” and “matrimi”) laying hold of the traces, to let go which was profanation. Mr. Keightley, in a communication to me, remarks a further propriety in the fact that the “tensae” proceeded from and returned to the Capitol, which would answer to the “arx” here. The word is supposed to be derived from “tendo” (“a tensis vinculis”), which, if true, or if considered so by Virg., would give additional propriety to the use of ‘intendunt’ here.
[239] Heyne comp. Eur. Tro. 527 foll. ‘Sacra’ is explained by ‘canunt,’ as i. q. “sacra carmina.”
[240] Minans, 1. 162 (note). ‘Urbi,’ better taken with ‘inlabitur’ than with ‘minans,’ because of ‘mediae.’
[241] Copied, according to Serv., from Ennius. Heyne thinks the reference is to Enn. Andr. fr. 9, “O pater, O patria, O Priami domus.” ‘Divom domus:’ see v. 351. The exclamation is wrung from Aeneas as he thinks of the warning given just as the destruction of the city was about to be assured, and of the blindness which missed this last opportunity of escape. We may be reminded of Clarendon's words at the end of his narrative of the abortive attempt of Hampden, Cromwell, &c., to leave England: “So near came this poor country to its deliverance.”
[243] ‘Substitit:’ as they were pulling it over the breach. Stumbling on the threshold was regarded as a reason for pausing in an undertaking (Weidner comp. Ov. M. 10. 452, Id. 1 Trist. 3. 55, Tibull. 1. 3. 19), so that Virg. means that the omen ought to have warned them, as well as the actual sound of the armour.
[244] Inmemores, not taking thought, a sense which the word approaches in many other passages, though there is generally a notion of the thing neglected as having been previously in the mind, which here seems hardly to be the case. Comp. the use of “memorare” for to make mention of.
[245] Monstrum, of any thing portentous, as of Polyphemus, 3. 658. ‘Infelix,’ inauspicious.
[246] Etiam, not, ‘then, as often before,’ but ‘besides our other warnings.’ ‘Fatis futuris’ seems to be either a dative, ‘for a warning of the future,’ or an abl. of the manner. See on G. 4. 452, where perhaps I have gone too far in saying that the balance inclines to the dative.
[247] Henry rightly takes ‘credita’ with ‘ora,’ arguing from the emphatic position of ‘ora,’ as well as from the greater poeticalness of the expression, and quoting Ov. M. 15. 74, “primus quoque (Pythagoras) talibus ora Docta quidem solvit, sed non et credita verbis,” which also seems to show that ‘fatis’ is the abl. ‘Those lips, which were doomed never to be believed.’
[248] Quibus, &c., not connected with ‘miseri,’ ‘wretched, inasmuch as that day was our last,’ but ‘though that day was our last:’ “a relative proposition, containing an antithesis to the leading proposition,” Madvig, § 366. 3.
[249] Velamus for ‘coronamus,’ 3. 405, 545., 5. 72, &c., the festoons being thick and long, so as to cover the altar. So κατασκίους Aesch. Supp. 345 (κλάδοις κατάσκιον νεύονθ᾽, v. 335) answers to ἐστεμμένην in the line before. Henry compares 3. 25, “ramis tegerem ut frondentibus aras.” ‘Festa fronde,’ 4. 459, where it is joined with “velleribus niveis,” also of the decorations of a temple. It seems equivalent to “sertis” (Dict. A. ‘serta’). See 1. 417. Il. 1. 39, εἴ ποτέ τοι χαρίεντ᾽ ἐπὶ νηὸν ἔρεψα. The leaves seem to have been of various kinds, such as laurel, olive, ivy, myrtle (the last of which is named 3. 23), varying according to the god whose temple was decorated.
[250-267] ‘At night, while we were asleep, the enemy's fleet returns from Tenedos. Sinon opens the horse, and a junction is effected.’
