[286] Misso certamine of the completion of the contest, below v. 545. Cic. Fam. 5. 12 has “ante ludorum missionem.” Gossrau comp. the Roman “missa est.” Thus it is not the same as λῦτο δ᾽ ἀγών Il. 24. 1, which implies the breaking up of the assembly.
[287] Curvus of a hill, as of a valley 2. 748, of a ravine 11. 522. ‘Collibus curvis’ is the instrumental, not the local abl., though the meaning of course is that wooded hills surrounded the plain. Comp. 8. 598, “undique colles Inclusere cavi,” a passage which, as compared with the present, shows that ‘curvus’ to a certain extent is parallel with “cavus:” see on 2. 748.
[288] Media—erat is coupled with ‘quem—silvae,’ as though it had been “et ubi theatri circus erat.” So Wagn., rightly. ‘Theatri’ with ‘circus,’ as the older commentators take it, not, as Forb. thinks, with ‘valle.’
[290] Consessu dative, for ‘in consessum.’ Thiel. Strictly speaking, this is hardly consistent with ‘multis cum milibus;’ but Virg. doubtless meant to show us the numbers accompanying Aeneas as flocking to the seats at once, so as to be already set down when he takes his place in the centre. Or we may take ‘consessu’ of the place before it was occupied, as it had probably been already prepared for the spectators in however rough a fashion: at any rate it was adapted for sitting. ‘Exstructo’ is not, as Serv. and the earlier commentators thought, to be constructed with ‘consessu,’ but from a subst. ‘exstructum,’ which, though found nowhere else, may be paralleled by ‘aggestum.’ All that we can tell from the word is that it means something raised, whether a mound or a more elaborate seat.
[291] Contendere with each other, perhaps with a further reference to the other use of ‘contendere’ of exertion in running. The foot-race is from Il. 23. 740 foll., where only three start.
[292] Pretiis v. 111. ‘Animos’ might be constructed with ‘qui,’ i. q. “iuvenes animosos” (comp. the use of the word below, v. 751); but it is simpler to supply the antecedent. See on 4. 598, and comp. 6. 468 note. “Praemia ponit” v. 486, ἄεθλα θῆκε Il. 23. 262. The verb is doubtless to be understood literally of bringing them forward from the place where they had already been exposed to view (v. 109), that the spectators might see the prizes of each contest.
[293] Sicani: see on 1. 258. ‘Mixtique’ does not of itself imply, as Thiel thinks, that the Sicilians held a secondary place: comp. E. 10, 55. “Interea mixtis lustrabo Maenala Nymphis.” As a matter of fact the proclamation was made in the first instance to the Trojans, as a reason for detaining them in the island, and they had doubtless more strong men than the subjects of Acestes, who can only have been king of a small portion of the island.
[295] Pal. has ‘insigni.’ ‘Viridi iuventa’ may be either constructed with ‘insignis,’ or taken as a descriptive abl. For a similar doubt comp. 6. 861.
[296] Pius of a natural and honourable love. “Quo pius adfectu Castora frater amat” Ov. 4 Tr. 5. 30. Nisus and Euryalus we shall meet again in Book 9.
[297] Regius of royal blood, v. 252 above. Diores was a son of Priam, Hygin. f. 273. A Diores is killed by Turnus 12. 509, but probably not the same, as he is mentioned there with a brother, and without any ancestral designation.
[298] Salius is mentioned by Festus s. v. ‘Salios,’ on the authority of Polemon, as having accompanied Aeneas into Italy, Patron by Dionys. 1. 51 as having settled in the territory of Aluntium in Sicily, so that Virg. did not invent their names. See Heyne's Third Excursus on this book.
[299] Tegeaeae Pal. a m. p. ‘Tegeae de’ Med. a m. sec. (‘Tegere’ a m. pr.), Pal. a m. s., ‘Tegaea de’ Rom. ‘Tegeae de’ might stand if we were to adopt ‘Arcadia,’ from Pal. and Gud., as Τέγεος seems to be a possible form, like ‘Nemeus’ 8. 295 for ‘Nemeaeus.’ In 8. 459 Med. and Rom. have “Tegeum” unmetrically. There can be little doubt however that the two diphthongs led to the corruption, and that ‘de’ was added as a prop to the verse. ‘Tegeaeus’ occurs 8. 459, G. 1. 18.
[300] ‘Helymus’ v. 73. note. Panopes seems not to occur elsewhere. Rom. has ‘Helymusque,’ Med. ‘Panospesque,’ readings which might possibly stand if combined.
[302] Macrob. Sat. 6. 1 quotes from Enn. Alex. fr. 5 (Vahlen), “Multi alii adventant, paupertas quorum obscurat nomina.” “Fama est obscurior annis” 7. 205.
[303] “In mediis” 8. 696., 11. 237.
[304] Comp. 3. 250., 4. 611. “Huc advertite mentem” 8. 440.
[305] Abibit below v. 314.
[306] Gnosia is the spelling of Med. and Rom., ‘Cnosia’ of Pal. and Gud. ‘Bina’ is used in its proper sense, which makes it unnecessary to express ‘cuique’ after ‘dabo.’
[307] ‘Caelatam argento’ doubtless refers to the handle, which Gossrau supposes to have been of wood ornamented with silver. In Dict. A. ‘Securis,’ it is explained as if the head were of silver; but would not this be too costly for a present given to each of a large number of competitors?
[308] No distinction can be made between the words ‘honos’ and ‘praemium,’ the former word being applied to a prize several times in this book, e.g. vv. 342, 365 below. The things are sufficiently distinguished by the context.
[309] Comp. vv. 494, 539 below, vv. 246, 269 above. ‘Flava’ like “pallenti olivae” E. 5. 16, ξανθῆς ἐλαίας, Aesch. Pers. 617. Serv. perhaps read ‘fulva.’
[310] A mare with foal is the second prize for the chariot-race in Il. 23. 265. Horses with ‘phalerae’ were sometimes given by the Roman senate, as Gossrau remarks, e.g. to Masinissa, Livy 30. 17.
[311] The quiver may have been actually Amazonian, as the Amazons came to help the Trojans (see 1. 490); the arrows too may have been Thracian, Thrace being allied with Troy (3. 15), as Gossrau observes, adding however, what is as likely, that Virg. may have merely added the epithets as a poetical way of saying that the things were the best of their kind, as he seems to have done G. 3. 345.
[312] “Lato balteus auro Praetegit” Pers. 4. 44. Here, as there, it matters little whether ‘lato auro’ be taken with the verb or as a descriptive abl. with ‘balteus.’ The belt was probably embossed with gold, like that of Pallas 10. 499, though in Od. 11. 610 the spectre of Hercules has a χρύσεος τελαμών, which however need not imply that it was entirely of gold. ‘Circumplectitur’ Med., ‘circum amplectitur’ Pal., Rom., Gud., which I have restored after Ribbeck.
[313] It seems doubtful (comp. Dict. A. ‘Balteus,’ ‘Fibula’) whether the ‘fibula’ here is a buckle enriched with a gem, or the gem acting as a button.
[314] The Argive helmet, doubtless a piece of spoil, would probably be distinguished by its crest, as we have seen 2. 412.
[315-361] ‘Nisus heads the rest till he is overthrown in a slippery part of the course, when he dexterously manages to secure the victory to his friend Euryalus. Salius, who would have had the prize but for Nisus' artifice, gets an extra reward, as does Nisus himself.’
