Virg. probably meant, as Serv. thought, to imply by this line the opening of a new day: just as he expresses sunset by “clauso Olympo” 1. 374. ‘Interea’ seems to be used vaguely, as 11. 1 “Oceanum interea surgens Aurora reliquit.” Vv. 118—146 must therefore contain a brief description of a whole day's battle, during which, or during part of which (‘interea’ v. 118), the gods are sitting in council. The conclusion of the battle is fixed by the pluperf. ‘contulerant,’ and its fortunes tally sufficiently with Venus' anxiety, Juno's anger, and Jupiter's impartiality in the Olympic debate. We may therefore reject Heyne's supposition that the council of the gods takes place on the evening of the day which may be thought to have closed with Book 9, and that the night mentioned in vv. 147, 215, and 216 is the night following that evening. The description of the battle vv. 118—146 is short, but enough is included to occupy a day. The councils of the gods described in Il. 8 and Od. 5 take place at day-break. With the thought of ‘panditur domus Olympi’ comp. Homer's πύλαι Οὐλύμποιο (Il. 8. 411), and Ennius' “porta caeli” (Epig. 10), adopted by Virg. G. 3. 261. ‘Omnipotens’ recurs as an epithet of Olympus 12. 791. The line of Aeschylus (Prom. 397) “ἦ τῷ νέον θακοῦντι παγκρατεῖς ἕδρας” may have been in Virg.'s mind, though the thought there is not exactly parallel to that of ‘omnipotentis Olympi,’ as παγκρατεῖς is only relative to Zeus. A reading ‘omnipatentis’ is mentioned by Pierius, and one of the Hamburg MSS. (according to Burmann) has ‘omniparentis’ (epithet of the earth 6. 595) as a correction: this was approved by Heinsius. A line of Naevius (Osann conj. ‘Laevius’） “Panditur interea domus altitonantis Olympi” is quoted by Apuleius, de Orthographia § 15, who thinks that ‘Olympi’ may be gen. of ‘Olympius:’ in any case that Jupiter is meant.
This text is part of:
John Conington. P. Vergili Maronis opera. P. Vergili Maronis Opera. The works of. Virgil. , with a Commentary by John Conington, M.A. and Henry Nettleship, M.A. London. Whittaker and Co., Ave Maria Lane;. George Bell and Sons, York Street, Covent Garden. 1876.
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