[102] Honorem ferebat i. q. “sacra ferebat:” comp. vv. 61. 76 &c. ‘Sollemnem honorem:’ comp. 2. 202. The circumstances are evidently borrowed from Od. 3. 4 foll., where Telemachus landing at Pylos finds Nestor with his son Peisistratus and his people sacrificing to Poseidon on the shore. Peisistratus rises first to greet the strangers, as Pallas flies to meet them here. It is worth while comparing the Homeric detail, groups of nine sacrificing nine bulls each, tasting the entrails, and burning the thighs, with Virg.'s more general language.
[103] The structure of the line is nearly the same as 3. 19, “Sacra Dionaeae matri divisque ferebam Auspicibus coeptorum operum,” where see note. We may observe that the name ‘Hercules’ is unmanageable in a Latin hexameter except in the gen. and abl., and that Virg. in consequence has to resort to a variety of expedients for expressing it.
[104] “Ante urbem in luco” 3. 302. Cerda shows that it was customary in Greece to sacrifice to Hercules without the walls, comp. Dem. Fals. Leg. p. 368, where Aeschines is reproached for having induced the Athenians to break the rule by sacrificing within the walls when they had not war as an excuse, and Plutarch Quaest. Rom. 28, who inquires why youths wishing to swear by Hercules went into the open air. The remark, he tells us, was first made by Scaliger, Poet. 3. 26, referring to the present passage. ‘Una’ with dat. like “similis,” “pariter.”
[105] Senatus (senes) opp. to ‘iuvenum,’ as Serv. remarks. ‘Iuvenum primi,’ 9. 785.
[106] Serv. says that ‘tura dabant’ is from a regular sacrificial phrase, “Da, quod debes, de manu dextra aris:” but the sacrificial use of “dare” hardly requires illustration. “Dabimusque divis Tura benignis” Hor. 4 Od. 2. 51. ‘Tepidus cruor,’ 6. 248.
[107] Videre is construed in the first clause with acc., in the second with inf. In English we should vary the word; ‘when they espied the ships and saw them approach’ &c. Not unlike is the coupling of a part. with an inf., as in 7. 421, 422. Some unseasonable lover of old Latin might suggest that ‘celsas’ has its participial force here, comparing κέλλω, “celer,” “celox:” but the thought is of course only worth mentioning as a coincidence, and perhaps as a warning against similar speculations. To understand ‘atque—et’ as ‘que—que’ would be unlike Virg.
[108] Tacitos is the reading of Rom., Med., Pal., and most of Ribbeck's MSS.; it is also found in Canon. Gud., and another of Ribbeck's cursives, both corrected, have ‘tacitis,’ and so Serv., whose comment is “‘tacitis incumbere remis’ pro ipsi taciti, i. e. sine celeusmate.” The editors generally have supposed ‘tacitos’ to be an interpretation, and this on the whole seems most probable. If it were admitted, it would simplify the construction in v. 107, as ‘adlabi’ as well as ‘incumbere’ might be referred to the crews. But the complexity of the sentence, ‘incumbere’ being said of the ships when really it refers to the rowers, is itself Virgilian. Whichever reading we adopt, the silence seems to mean not what Serv. supposes, but the absence of an intimation from the Trojans who they were, which would itself alarm the Arcadians: probably too we are meant to think of the calm of the river. Strictly of course the oars cannot have been noiseless. “Incumbere remis” 5. 15.
[110] Mensis, the sacrificial banquet. Comp. 7. 176. ‘Audax’ refers to his readiness to meet the possible danger. ‘Rumpere sacra:’ the interruption of a sacrifice or religious celebration was thought ill-omened by the Romans: comp. 3. 407. Serv. tells a story that the games of the Circus were once interrupted by an alarm that Hannibal was at the gates, and that on returning to the Circus the people found an old man who had been dancing without intermission, which gave occasion to a proverb, “Salva res est, saltat senex.”
[111] Ipse in person.
[112] He had apparently climbed a mound for the purpose of observation. ‘Iuvenes’ applies to all of a military age, all warriors. So the Anglo-Saxon knight and child and the German held mean a youth.
[113] Ignotas temptare vias merely expresses that he perceives them to be strangers.
[114] τίς πόθεν εἶς ἀνδρῶν; πόθι τοι πόλις ἠδὲ τοκῆες; Od. 1. 170. ‘Qui genus’ is variously corrupted by thinferior MSS. into ‘quod’ or ‘quid genus,’ ‘quo genere.’ The construction is perhaps from the Greek, e. g. Od. 15. 267, ἐξ Ἰθάκης γένος εἰμί. Comp. 5. 285, “Cresa genus Pholoe.” ‘Unde domo’ is a phrase, as in Hor. 1 Ep. 7. 52, “quaere et refe, unde domo, quis, Cuius fortunae.” or Plaut. Cist. 4. 2. 6, “haec cistella numquam hinc a nobis domo est,” comp. by Forb., from which we see that the abl. means ‘in respect of domicile.’ For ‘domus’ of place of extraction comp. 10. 141, “Maeonia generose domo,” ib. 183, “Qui Caerete domo.”
[115] Puppi ab alta, 5. 12. Aeneas stands there, as Heyne remarks, because they had reached the land and as usual (6. 3) turned the prow to the sea, the stern to the land.
[116] ‘Praetenditque’ instead of “praetendens.” ‘Pacifer’ is quoted from no author before Virg., but is frequently found in inscriptions as an epithet of the gods: see Freund. Here it reminds us of ‘pacem fertis’ v. 114. For the olive branch see on 7. 154.
[117] Comp. v. 55. ‘Troiugenas’ 3. 359. He reassures Pallas about the import of the weapons, as the Sibyl reassures Charon 6. 400.
[118] Quos refers of course to ‘Troiugenas,’ ‘illi’ to ‘Latinis,’ though Virg. has expressed himself rather ambiguously. Aeneas speaks as if the Latins had consummated their intention of expelling the Trojans. ‘Superbus’ and ‘superbia’ are used much in the sense of ὕβρις, for outrage and tyranny, as well as pride; e. g. Tarquinius Superbus for Tarquin the tyrant. So it is used of the tyranny of Mezentius v. 481, of that of Metabus 11. 539. The Latins had violated both the treaty and the rights of suppliants.
[119] Ferte, i. q. “nuntiate.” “Ascanio ferat haec” 1. 645.
[120] Some MSS. (including one of Ribbeck's cursives) have ‘viros,’ apparently because it was thought that ‘lectos’ was superfluous with ‘duces:’ but the chiefs had not all come. Possibly there may be a connexion in usage between “legere” and “legare,” as between “dicere” and “dicare.” Wagn. thinks that ‘viros’ may have arisen from 7. 168. With ‘rogantis,’ the pres. part., comp. 1. 519., 2. 114. “Socia arma” 11. 161.
[121] Nomine sc. “Dardaniae.” ‘Perculsus’ Rom., ‘percussus’ Med., Pal., Gud. See on 1. 513.
[122] ‘Etgredere’ or ‘etgradere’ is the reading of Pal. (originally), Med., and Rom., which seems to point to the form ‘ecgredere’ restored by Ribbeck. With ‘quicumque es’ comp. the quasi-vocative “quaecumque” 1. 330. Pallas had not heard Aeneas' name, as Serv. and Donatus observe, though he had been informed of his nation. Some MSS. mentioned by Pierius have ‘parente,’ a natural error.
[123] “Tectis succedite nostris” 1. 627. For ‘ac’ the first reading of Med. has ‘et.’
[124] Excepit not of physically catching by the hand, but in its transferred sense of welcoming, like “gaza excipit” 5. 40 &c. It is a translation of χερσίν τ᾽ ἠσπάζοντο Od. 3. 35. The reading before Heins. was ‘accepit.’ ‘Inhaesit:’ ἔν τ᾽ ἄρα οἱ φῦ χειρί Il. 6. 406.
[125] For ‘subeunt’ with dat. see on 7. 161. ‘Luco,’ when the sacrifice was going on, v. 104.
[126-151] ‘Aeneas explains to Evander that though they are Trojans and the Arcadians Greeks, both are sprung from a common stock and threatened by a common enemy, and asks for an alliance.’
