[420] “Neque enim is teli nec volneris auctor” v. 748 below.
[421] “Furens antro se inmisit aperto” 6. 262. ‘Quo’ virtually = “cui hosti.” ‘Ardens’ is not, as Wagn. Q. V. 29 explains it, ἐφιέμενός περ, but rather i. q. “ardentem:” comp. 1. 314, 439 &c.
[422] “Nam mi calido das sanguine poenas” Enn. A. 1. fr. 58. ‘Calido’ is emphatic: your fresh life-blood. Comp. Soph. O. C. 622, “θερμὸν αἷμα πίεται”. ‘Poenas’ with gen. of the crime 11. 258. No other instance of a gen. of the person is quoted: but it may be regarded as an extension of the former, “amborum occisorum.” Ποινή with gen. of the person whose death is atoned for is common in Hom.
[424] “Imus in adversos” 11. 389.
[426] “Si potui tantum sperare dolorem, Et perferre, soror, potero” 4. 419. Here ‘potuit’ is used in two slightly different senses, meaning ‘brooked’ with ‘celare,’ ‘was able’ with ‘perferre.’
[427] Taubmann's note may save the trouble of commenting on a well-known line: “Voces sunt perturbati, qui quod animo tenebat non potuit semel effundere. Ait ergo ‘me,’ et cum deesset continuatio verborum sequentium, ait iterum ‘me.’ Tertio, uti se paulatim colligere coepit, adiunxit ‘adsum qui feci.’ Quarto, ‘in me convertite ferrum.’ Certe magna subtilitate dispositum est.” With ‘qui feci’ comp. the use of “fecit” in inscriptions.
[428] Fraus of crime, like “fraudem capitalem admittere” Cic. Pro Rabir. 9. “Nulla nec—nec” E. 5. 25. Nisus seems to mean that Euryalus had neither the courage nor the strength to do the Rutulians any harm, doubtless thinking not of the two deaths just inflicted, in which it was manifest Euryalus could have had no share, but of the slaughter in the camp as yet unknown to them. Appealing to their pity for his friend's youth and innocence, he is at no pains to guard his reputation for courage.
[429] Conscia, which have seen the events of the night. Comp. Juv. 8. 149, “Nocte quidem: sed luna videt, sed sidera testis Intendunt oculos.”
[430] “Contra illud, Cur ergo venit? dicit, Tantum amicum dilexit ut cum nihil posset tamen veniret,” Serv., who must not be supposed to have misunderstood ‘tantum’ because he uses it in a different sense.
[431] Viribus not quite i.q. “vi,” which would be more general, and would not imply human power. Elsewhere some epithet is mostly used, as “summis,” “totis,” “validis.” With ‘adactus’ comp. “adacta vis teli” Lucr. 3.172.
[432] ‘Transabiit’ Rom., ‘transadigit’ Pal., Gud., Med. corrected (from ‘transadibit’). The latter is found 12. 276, 508, but could not stand after ‘adactus.’ Two of Ribbeck's cursives have ‘transadiit.’ For the confusion between “ad” and “ab” comp. v. 380 above. ‘Transabeo’ occurs several times in the later poets: see Forc. Rom. and one or two of Ribbeck's cursives have ‘rupit:’ but there is some force in the change of tense: while Nisus is yet speaking, the sword has entered Euryalus' ribs, and is making its way through his breast. Rom. has also ‘pectora candida.’
[433] Volvitur above v. 414. ‘Leto’ in death, abl., not, as Wagn. thinks, dat., to the death-god, which would be very harsh here, whatever we may think of it in such passages as 8. 566, G. 3. 480 (note). Schrader rather ingeniously conj. ‘solvitur,’ which is apparently the original reading of one of Ribbeck's cursives.
[434] “Ad terramque fluit devexo pondere cervix” G. 3. 524.
[435] Comp. 11. 68 foll. ‘Flos succisus aratro’ is from two passages in Catull., 11. 22 foll., “prati Ultimi flos, praetereunte postquam Tactus aratro est,” 60 (62). 40, “flos . . . nullo contusus aratro.”
[436]
Some MSS. and early editions
read ‘laxo’ or ‘lapso:’ but all Ribbeck's
MSS. have ‘lasso.’ Wakef. needlessly
conj. ‘laeso.’ The comParison is from Il.
8. 306 foll.
“μήκων δ᾽ ὡς ἑτέρωσε κάρη βάλεν, ἥτ᾽ ἐνὶ
κήπῳ,
καρπῷ βριθομένη νοτίῃσί τε εἰαρινῇσιν:
ὣς ἑτέρωσ᾽ ἤμυσε κάρη πήληκι βαρυνθέν.
”
[439] Moratur implies that nothing else stops him. For the construction with ‘in’ and abl. comp. 7. 253.
[440] Quem is Nisus, constructed with ‘proturbant.’ Had the meaning been that ‘Volscens’ party gather round to protect him (‘quem’ with ‘circum’) we should have had “socii” rather than ‘hostes.’
[441] Proturbant, drive him off from Volscens. With ‘comminus’ contrast “proturbantque eminus hostem Missilibus” 10. 801. ‘Non segnius,’ the reading before Heins., is found in none of Ribbeck's MSS. “Rotat ensem” 10. 577.
[442] “Ensem fulmineum” 4. 579 note. “Pharo . . . Intorquens iaculum clamantis sistit in ore” 10. 323.
[444] Exanimum Med., Gud. corrected, ‘exanimem’ Pal., Rom., Gud originally. There seems no ground for deciding between them.
[445] Demum, after the short sharp struggle.
