3. Suppositum. Ovid, deceived by the severity of the winters on the Euxine, seems never to have suspected that his new abode was but little to the north of Rome, and that the stars which remained constantly above the horizon of Tomi, were, with very few exceptions, the same as those which never set in Italy. The latitude of Rome is 41° 53′ N., while Tomi is about 43° 46′ N., being under nearly the same parallel with Florence. 5. The Sauromatae (Eavpoμára), or, as they frequently were called by Roman writers, the Sarmatae, were considered by Herodotus (4. 21) as a race distinct from the Scythians, and occupied, in his time, the vast steppe which extends from the Tanais (Don) as far as the Rha (Wolga), on the north and east, and the Caucasus on the south. In after times Sarmatia comprehended the whole tract of country contained between the 45th and 85th meridians of E. Longitude, and stretching from the 47th parallel of N. Latitude to the confines of the known world on the north, being thus bounded on the west by the banks of the Vistula, on the east by the shores of the Mare Hyrcanum (Caspian Sea), on the south by the coasts of the Euxine and the Palus Maeotis (Sea of Azof), and divided by the Tanais into 'Sarmatia Europaea' and 'Sarmatia Asiatica.' In Ovid the Sauromatae are classed along with the Getae, and other barbarian hordes, who dwelt along the northern bank of the Danube towards its mouth. Bessique. 'The Bessi occupy the greater portion of Mount Haemus, and from their depredations are called robbers; they dwell in huts, and lead a wild life.' So Strabo. 7.5, § 13. The incursions of the Bessi upon the Tomitae would be from the south, while the attacks of the Sauromatae and Getae were from the north. The Bessi are mentioned by Herodotus as belonging to the great tribe of the Satrae, the only Thracian people which had never been subdued (7. 10). Getaeque. The Getae seem at this period to have been considered identical with the Daci, and occupied the country called Dacia, which was bounded on the south by the Danube, on the west by the Tibiscus (Teiss), on the east by the Euxine, and on the north by the Tyras or Danaster (Dniester), which divided it from the seats of the Bastarnae, in European Sarmatia, thus occupying the modern Moldavia, Wallachia, and a considerable portion of Hungary. These limits, however, varied much from time to time, and at no period were they very accurately defined. The Getae or Daci dwelt originally on the south of the Danube, where they possessed the whole valley of Moesia as far as Mount Haemus, now Servia and Bulgaria; they were driven to the north of the Danube by Philip of Macedon and Alexander, and from that time are generally spoken of in connection with Scythian and Sarmatian tribes. 11, 12. Critics have hitherto failed in their attempts to explain these words as they are exhibited in the best MSS., nor has any emendation been proposed which can be received with confidence. The true reading has probably not yet been discovered, but there seem no grounds for supposing the couplet to be altogether spurious. 27. Papyrifero...a .amne. The Nile, one of the few streams in the world where the papyrus is found, whose inner coats were employed by the ancients in the manufacture of paper, which derives its name from this plant. The process is minutely described by Pliny H. N. 13. 11, 12. Compare Ov. Met. 15. 752 'Scilicet aequoreos plus est domuisse Britannos, 28. Vasto Freto. The Euxine. Multa per ora. The Danube is said by Ovid to have seven mouths, Trist. 2. 189 'Solus ad egressus missus septemplicis Istri, So the Nile, Met. 5. 187 'At Nileus, qui se genitum septemplice Nilo which in like manner is called 'septemgeminus' by Virgil. The mouths of the Nile are now reduced to two, while geographers reckon five as belonging to the Danube. Of these two only are navigable. 38. Testa, which signifies properly any piece of pottery, is here used to denote the smooth brittle crust of ice. 41. Leandre. The story of Leander, 'the young, the beautiful, the brave,' who was wont to swim across the Hellespont by night from Abydos, to visit his beloved Hero, the fair priestess of Aphrodite at Sestos, and was at length drowned during a storm, is fully detailed in the two epistles of Ovid1, addressed to each other by the fond pair; and in a Greek 1 Ov. Her. 18 and 19. poem, of uncertain date, which bears the name of Musaeus 1. Virgil also alludes to the tale when descanting on the force of love: 'Quid iuvenis, magnum cui versat in ossibus ignem Durus amor? Nempe abruptis turbata procellis Nocte natat caeca serus freta; quem super ingens Porta tonat caeli, et scopulis inlisa reclamant Aequora; nec miseri possunt revocare parentes, Nec moritura super crudeli funere virgo' G. 3. 258. There can be little doubt that the history was founded on some local legend: that the feat is possible has been proved by the successful attempts of Lord Byron and Mr. Ekenhead, both of whom achieved the task. The distance between the two castles is one mile and a quarter, but it is almost impossible to swim straight across, in consequence of the rapidity of the current. 52. The words redundatas flumine...aquas would strictly mean 'water proceeding from the overflowing river,' as in Fast. 6. 401 'Hoc, ubi nunc fora sunt, udae tenuere paludes: but in the passage before us the expression must be taken as equivalent to the waters of the brimming river,' as opposed to the waters of the sea in the line above. 55. Equo pollens. Like the Cossacks of our own day. 63. Laremque suum. Compare v. 30 of preceding Extract. Hamatis, 'hooked,' i. e. barbed. 64. Nam refers to 'misere confixa' in the preceding line. Tinctile virus, 'poison in which they have been dipped.' 70. Situ. See note, p. 231. 72. Musta lacus. The 'lacus' was the large vat in which the juice of the grape ('mustum ') was received when pressed out of the 'prelum.' 73. Acontius was a youth of Cea, who having repaired to Delos to witness certain solemn rites, became desperately enamoured of a noble maiden Cydippe, engaged in ministering to Diana. In order to gain his wish, he inscribed upon an apple the words 'Per Dianam iuro me Acontii futuram coniugem.' He then threw down the fruit, which was picked 1 Musaei Carmen de Herone et Leandro. up by the damsel, who, as soon as she had pronounced the words of the legend became bound as by a solemn oath to be the bride of Acontius. Ovid has worked up the tale with great skill and beauty in two epistles 1, and alludes to it again A. A. 1. 457 ‘Litera Cydippen, pomo perlata, fefellit Insciaque est verbis capta puella suis.' and in R. A. 381 'Callimachi numeris non est dicendus Achilles: The last lines manifestly relate to a poem of Callimachus upon this theme, of which disjointed fragments are still extant 2. 40. VITA POETAE. TR. IV. 10. THE life of Ovid, given in the Introduction, will serve as a commentary upon this Extract, which furnished most of the materials for the biography in question. But few additional illustrations will be required. 8. Nearly the same couplet is found in Amor. 3. 15, 5 'Si quid id est, usque a proavis vetus ordinis heres, Non modo militiae turbine factus eques.' 10. The order of the words is, 'Qui ortus erat quater tribus mensibus ante,' who had been born four times three months before. 13. For a full account of the festival of Minerva, see introduction to 30. 15. Protinus, i. e. forthwith from our early years we are educated with care. 16. Insignes ab arte viros, ‘men distinguished by their ability.' Some commentators would confine arte' to the Ars Grammatica, but it ought to be taken in a general sense, 'men rendered distinguished by learning and accomplishments.' Merula understands it thus :-' After concluding our grammatical studies ('ab arte') we betake ourselves to the distinguished men of the city,' i. e., to rhetoricians and others. 22. Maeonides. See note on 3. 9, p. 119. 1 Heroid. 20 and 21. 2 There is an interesting disquisition on Cydippe and Acontius in the Mythologus of Buttmann. 24. Verba soluta modis, 'words released from measures,' prose. i. e. 28. Liberior...toga. The 'toga virilis' usually assumed at the age of seventeen. 29. Induiturque. This line and the expression below, 'clavi mensura coacta est,' have given rise to many discussions, inasmuch as they refer to certain arrangements with regard to the 'Equites,' introduced under the Empire, the nature of which is not distinctly understood. It appears from a comparison of several passages in Dion Cassius and Tacitus, that Augustus divided the knights into two classes; 1. The 'Equites illustres,' 'splendidi,' or 'Laticlavii,' were the sons of senators, or of persons possessing the fortune of senators; they were thus qualified to enjoy the great offices of state, and if they entered into public life, were permitted to wear the 'Tunica Laticlavia' by anticipation; 2. The 'Equites modici,' Angusticlavii,' were not the sons of senators, and did not possess the fortune requisite for senators, and consequently were ineligible to the chief magistracies. Ovid belonged to the former class, and consequently so long as he was a candidate for public distinction, appeared with the 'latus clavus,' which he laid aside as soon as he abandoned all ambitious views. See Dion Cassius 54. 30; 59. 9; 55. 2; 56. 27, Tacit. Ann. 1. 73; 2. 59; 11. 4; 16. 17, Agric. 4, and the commentators; also Rubenius de Re Vestiaria, in the Thesaurus of Graevius, where the question is treated at great length. or 34. Eque viris... tribus. There were various offices at Rome, usually filled by persons who aspired to higher magistracies, and considered as the first steps to preferment. Thus we read of the 'Triumviri Monetales,' Commissioners of the Mint; 'Triumviri Nocturni,' Commissioners of the Night Police; Triumviri Capitales,' Commissioners who had the charge of prisoners and attended the execution of criminals. 39. Aoniae...sorores. The muses who haunted the Boeotian hill of Helicon, the fountains Aganippe and Hippocrene, and the streams of Olmius and Permessus. Aonia was an ancient name of Boeotia. Compare Virg. E. 6. 64 'Tum canit, errantem Permessi ad flumina Gallum Vtque viro Phoebi chorus assurrexerit omnis.' 47. Ponticus heroo. Ponticus was the author of a poem on the Theban War, and is addressed in the most flattering terms by Propertius, 1. 7, I |