[54] Nova pugnae sorte seems to mean ‘the new allotment or condition which the battle had brought,’ i. e. the prospect of a single combat between Turnus and Aeneas.
[55] Moritura tenebat: held him with the grasp of one resolved on death. By ‘moritura’ Virg. indicates not merely her intention (v. 62) but the realization of it (v. 600 foll.). The conception of Amata and her suicide is much more in the spirit of the Greek tragedy than in that of Homer: neither the speech of Andromache to Hector in Il. 6, nor that of Hecuba in Il. 22, much resembles these lines. Ribbeck, with strange insensibility, conj‘monitura.’
[56, 57] “Per ego has lacrimas . . . oro” 4. 314. ‘Per si quis,’ &c. 2. 142 note. Comp. 7. 401, “Si qua piis animis manet infelicis Amatae Gratia.” Both “gratia” and ‘honos’ seem to stand for the Greek χάρις: comp. πατρῴαν τιμῶν χάριν, Eur. Orest. 828. “Sermonum honos et gratia” Hor. A. P. 69. (Forb.)
[58] Requiem Med. a m. p. “Tune ille senectae Sera meae requies” 9. 481, 482. ‘Misere’ Rom. and originally Med.
[59] So Clytaemnestra calls Agamemnon ὑψηλῆς στέγης Στῦλον ποδήρη, Aesch. Ag. 897: comp. Eur. I. T. 50 foll. “Mearum Grande decus columenque rerum” Hor. 2 Od. 17. 4. ‘Inclinata’ is explained by ‘recumbit.’ The line is not unlike Ov. Trist. 2. 83, 84, “Cum coepit quassata domus subsidere, partes In proclinatas omne recumbit onus.” Comp. also Juv. 8. 76. It is uncertain whether ‘te’ is abl. or acc.; but the latter is more probable.
[60] Manum committere, a variation on the more ordinary “manum conferre.” Like Latinus, Amata avoids mentioning Aeneas, but speaks of the Trojans generally, and the chances of war: see on v. 43.
[61] Isto, that which you wish to enter.
[62, 63] Simul, with you. “Lumina linquere” of death, Lucr. 3.542: see also Munro on 5. 989. “Lumina vitae” A. 6. 528 note.
[64] As Heyne observes, Virg. never informs us what were the feelings of Lavinia. His portrait of her had become classical by the time of Statius: see 1 Silv. 2. 244 (quoted by Wagn.), “Non talis niveos strinxit (‘tinxit’ Wagn.) Lavinia voltus, Cum Turno spectante rubet: non Claudia talis Respexit populos mota iam virgo carina.”
[65, 66] Plurimus as in 5. 250, “Quam plurima circum Purpura Maeandro duplici Meliboea cucurrit.” ‘Subiecit:’ comp. “subiectis ignibus” 11. 186. The line ‘subiecit rubor’ &c., is built like 8. 390, “Intravit calor, et labefacta per ossa cucurrit.” (Ribbeck.)
[67] Ὡς δ᾽ ὅτε τίς τ᾽ ἐλέφαντα γυνὴ φοίνικι μιήνῃ &c. Il. 4. 141 foll. The localization ‘Indum ebur’ is Virgilian: see on v. 4. ‘Violaverit’ because purple is not the natural colour of the ivory. Comp. (with Gossr.) Juv. 3. 20, “nec ingenuum violarent marmora tofum,” and see generally G. 2. 465, 466. There is a tone of modern sentiment in the use of the word, suggested perhaps by a misunderstanding of μιαίνειν, which only means to stain.
[68] The lengthening of the last syllable of ‘ebur’ may be comp. with that of the last syllable of ‘super’ 6. 254, “Pingue super oleum infundens;” and cf. ‘puer’ E. 9. 66, “Desine plura puer, et quod,” &c. Comp. Prop. 3. 24. 29, “Et tibi Maeonias inter heroidas omnis.” See Excursus to this book.
[69] Dabat colores seems to include the two notions of producing and spreading. Perhaps the nearest parallel in Virg. is 9. 292, “dedere Dardanidae lacrimas.”
[70] Turbo as often in Virg., of a passion that masters and confuses the mind: Heyne well comp. Livy 3. 47, “Tanta vis amentiae verius quam amoris mentem turbaverat.” ‘Figit,’ comp. 11. 507, “oculos horrenda in virgine fixus.” The nom. is of course changed.
[71] Ardet in arma like “audere in proelia” 2. 347. ‘Ita fatur’ for ‘adfatur’ Gud.
[72] For the thought comp. Il. 24. 218, Μή μ᾽ ἐθέλοντ᾽ ἰέναι κατερύκανε, μηδέ μοι αὐτὴ Ὄρνις ἐνὶ μεγάροισι κακὸς πέλευ: οὐδέ με πείσεις: and Apoll. R. 1. 303-4, “Ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν νῦν αὖθι μετ᾽ ἀμφιπόλοισιν ἕκηλος Μίμνε δόμοις, μηδ᾽ ὄρνις ἀεικελίη πέλε νηΐ” (Jason to his weeping mother). Eur. Orest. 788, (Orestes) Δάκρυα γοῦν γένοιτ᾽ ἄν: (Pylades) οὐκοῦν οὗτος οἰωνὸς μέγας (of Orestes meeting with Electra before going to speak to the people). ‘Tanto,’ so weighty: “omina tanta” of a cheering omen 9. 21; so “omine magno” 7. 146. ‘Tantum’ Gud. originally.
[73] “Prosequitur dictis” 6. 898, “votis” 9. 310. ‘In certamina Martis euntem’ like Homer's ὁππότ᾽ ἐγώ περ ἴω μετὰ μῶλον Ἄρηος, Il. 16. 245, &c. “Certamins belli” 10. 146 note.
[74] The meaning is, ‘Turnus is not free to delay his death, if it must come:’ comp. Hector's words to Andromache, Il. 6. 488, Μοῖραν δ᾽ οὔτινά φημι πεφυγμένον ἔμμεναι ἀνδρῶν, &c. “Non est mora libera nobis” Ov. M. 2. 143. (Forb.) Serv. counts this among the twelve insoluble passages in Virg., though he himself explains it quite clearly: “Si imminent fata, periturus sum, etiamsi minime ad bella proficiscar.”
[75] Phrygio, as so often, suggestive of cowardice. “Tyranno” in Virg. has not a bad sense by itself: see on 10. 448. “Haec laetus longaevo dicta parenti Hand dubitanda refer” 3. 169.
[77] Invecta rotis, like “invectus equis altum petit aethera” of the sun, G. 3. 358. Comp. A. 7. 26. This line is imitated by Ov. M. 3. 150 (Cerda). Heyne read ‘rubescit’ for ‘rubebit,’ apparently by an oversight.
[78] Non Teucros agat in Rutulos is balanced by ‘nostro dirimamus sanguine bellum;’ and Wagn. is therefore right in removing the full stop which Heyne had placed after ‘Rutulos.’ “Sic demum apparet,” says he, “quare non, quod proprium habet locum in distinguendis oppositis et contrariis, non ne scripsit poeta.” ‘Non’ is constantly used with the subjunctive where, according to the ordinary rule, ‘ne’ would be expected, if a particular part of the sentence is to be emphasized, as ‘Teucros’ is here. Ter. Andr. 4. 4. 48, “Hic est ille: non te credas Davom Indere:” Cic. Clu. 57, “quoniam omnia . . . a legibus habemus, a legibus non discedamus:” ad Quint. Fr. 1. 1. 13, “sit lictor non suae sed tuae lenitatis apparitor.” So Hor. 1 Ep. 18. 72, “non ancilla tuum iecur ulceret:” Livy 6. 41. 10, “non leges auspicato ferantur:” 35. 48, “bello se non interponant.” These instances are from Draeger, Historische Syntax d. Lateinischen Sprache, pp. 286-7, where however they are differently arranged. ‘Quiescunt’ Gud. originally. “Arma quiescunt,” in a different sense, 10. 836: see on 10. 396. ‘Teucrum arma’ a variation to avoid the repetition of ‘Teucri,’ though ‘arma’ has its literal sense: comp. “Aut Capyn, aut celsis in puppibus arma Caici” 1. 183.
[79] Rutulum Menag., with some support from two of Ribbeck's cursives: and so Heins., and Heyne, who, however, says he preferred ‘Rutuli.’ ‘Nostro’ ours and ours alone. ‘Dirimere’ = διαλύειν: comp. “dirimere controversiam” Cic. de Off. 3. 33. 119. (Forc.)
[80] Illo campo, in that arena: in the space to be marked out for our combat: comp. v. 116 below.
[81-112] ‘Turnus and Aeneas both prepare for the fight of the morrow.’
