Dum tibi deceptis augetur fama puellis, Certus et in nullo quæris amore moram; Nec nova quærendo semper amicus eris. 7 In quadam. Hertzberg quotes many passages to prove that this is the usual form for expressing the strong devotion of a lover. He might have added Hor. Od. i. 17, 20, 'laborantes in uno Penelopen vitreamque Circen.' Quidam is here opposed to quilibet; a particular person to any one. The 8 Adire is the reading of the good MSS. Kuinoel and Lachmann with the inferior copies give abire. The sense would be, 'primo gradu lapsus, adis alteram pugnam, non victus discedis;' the alteram being naturally implied in the word primo. metaphor is taken perhaps from the three throws which constituted a defeat in wrestling. So Gallus, once repulsed, again returns to the attack; so devoted is he to the new object of his affection. Hertzberg disapproves of this interpretation, which is nearly that of Jacob, and says; hoc vult: Tu, qui antea in lubrica amoris via huc illuc desultare protervus solebas, nunc, dum adis puellam, primo gradu lapsus es, jaces, keîσaï,' (i. e. victus es). This however should rather have 5 ΙΟ been 'incipis labi statim aggrediens,' not 'incipis aggredi statim lapsus.' It may be urged that incipis refers to pallescere rather than to adire, which Iwould have been adis had the metre allowed it. But this is so farfetched that I have preferred abire, ' to give up,' 'leave the arena.' 10 Multarum miseras vices, 'retribution for the unhappiness of many.' 15-17 See above, 10, 5, &c. Optata labra are simply the lips he had longed for, and of which he is unwilling, as it were, to resign the possession. If any alteration is necessary, aptatis is perhaps more probable than obtentis, Hertzberg's conjecture, who quotes against Burman's emendation and in favour of his own, passages from the Greek poets which tell exactly the other way. The MSS., however agree in verbis, which is perplexing enough. But the sentiment is so familiar with the Greek epigrammatists and amatory writers, that Hertzberg seems to have judged rightly in reading labris, especially as Passerat professed to have found it in libro vetusto.' Et Nec sic cœlestem flagrans amor Herculis Heben Una dies omnes potuit præcurrere amantes; Nec mirum, cum sit Jove digna et proxima Ledæ, 21 Neptune, assuming the form of the Thessalian river Enipeus, ravished Tyro, daughter of Salmoneus, who had been enamoured of the river-god. Mixtus, miscuisse se deum marinum fluvio egregie dicit, ad significandam liquidam deorum naturam.'-Hertzberg. Apollodor. i. 9, 8. Tupà ý Ɛadμωνέως θυγάτηρ καὶ ̓Αλκιδίκης, παρὰ Κρηθεῖ τῷ Σαλμωνέως ἀδελφῷ τρεφομένη, ἔρωτα ἴσχει Ενιπέως τοῦ ποταμοῦ· καὶ συνεχῶς ἐπὶ τὰ τούτου ῥεῖθρα φοιτῶσα, τούτοις ἀπωδύρετο. Ποσειδῶν δὲ εἰκασθεὶς Ενιπεῖ συγκατεκλίθη αὐτῇ. | Tenarius deus, οἱπὶ Ταινάρῳ θεός, Arist. Acharn. 510. Pausan. iii. 12, 5. τούτων δ' οὐ πόρρω τέμενος Ποσειδῶνος | Ταιναρίου. Ταινάριον γὰρ ἐπονομάζουσιν. 24 In Etais. Sic libri omnes. Scaliger correxit ab Etais. At ista vis est. Rectius Propertium dicas fabulam secutum esse, qua Hercules in ipso Eta, rogo evicto et mortalitate abdicata, Juventæ nupsisse haud insulso commento narraretur.'-Hertzberg. 25 Sententia: Tu una hac die omnes superare amantes potuisti.' 20 25 30 Hertzberg. Eleganter tempori tribuit quod erat hominis.'-Kuinoel. 27 Fastus. See on 1, 3.-succedere, to come over you again;' i. e. she will not allow you to slight her as you have done others. Kuinoel takes the word in a very different sense: 'bene et prospere tibi evenire.' 30 Hertzberg's correction (Leda e partu) and explanation of this difficult passage appear to me equally unsuccessful. In defence of the former indeed he alleges the authority of one inferior MS., and argues that Propertius would have used the Greek genitive Ledes unless constrained by metrical necessity. The newly-found mistress of Gallus, whom he strangely conceives to be Cynthia herself, is called (he tells us) a second Helen' (una e Leda partu,) who is handsomer than the real Helen, her sister Clytemnestra, and their mother Leda. Nothing, as it seems to me, can be more awkward than this. The poet says she is worthy to be, what Leda was, the consort of Jove; coming next after Leda in deserving that Illa sit Inachiis et blandior heroinis, Utere: non alio limine dignus eras. Quæ tibi sit felix, quoniam novus incidit error; XIV. Tu licet abjectus Tiberina molliter unda honour, Leda's own offspring from 34 Utere, make the most of it.' 35 5 Some earlier editions give urere.— semel, in the preceding verse, is 'for once at all events.' 35 Lachmann, Hertzberg, and Jacob read-Quæ tibi sit, felix' &c., which seems a perverse punctuation of a simple sentence: since you have at length found a worthy mistress, I wish you all happiness in the possession of her.'-error, see on errata sup. 9, 33. XIV. This elegant little poem is addressed to Tullus (see on El. 6) at his villa on the bank of the Tiber. The poet prefers his own happiness in the affection of Cynthia to the splendour and luxury of wealth. 2 Mentoreo opere. Mentor was celebrated for designing and working cups and bowls in raised or embossed devices (opus cælatum). See inf. iv. 9, 13. Juven. viii. 104, 'raræ sine Mentore mensæ.' He lived B.C. 400-350. 5 Et (licet) omne nemus &c. Though all the woodland round you Non tamen ista meo valeant contendere amori; Nam sive optatam mecum trahit illa quietem, Seu facili totum ducit amore diem, Tum mihi Pactoli veniunt sub tecta liquores, Illa neque Arabium metuit transcendere limen, should wave with trees as large as 6 intendat 7 Contendere, compete with.' nescit cedere, i. e. non vult superari ; feliciorem se prædicat. II 'The gold-bearing waters of Pactolus seem to bring their wealth to my house.' 12 Gemma. Perhaps the concha Erycina, inf. iv. 13, 6, pearls or mother-of-pearl. Hertzberg however ΤΟ 15 20 well observes that the poet may mean jewels from the East, which the Romans fancied were washed up by the sea, and which even Gray has ventured to say that the dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear.'—rubra æquora means the Erythræan sea, or Indian ocean. So iii. 7, 17. 'Semper in Oceanum mittit me quærere gemmas.' Martial (v. ep. 37,) speaks of lapilli Erythræi.' Cf. Tibull. ii. 2. 15. 13 Spondent &c. assure me that kings themselves are less happy than I.' 6 15 For who can take pleasure in riches, if unfortunate in his love?' Nulla præmia, i. e. nullæ opes. 19 No amount of wealth secures the possessor against the assaults of love.' Arabium limen, made of a kind of precious onyx. The commentators refer to Pliny, N. H. xxxvi. 12. XV. Sæpe ego multa tuæ levitatis dura timebam, Tu tamen in nostro lenta timore venis; Ut formosa novo quæ parat ire viro. Et, quamvis numquam posthac visura, dolebat Alphesiboa suos ulta est pro conjuge fratres, XV. Addressed to Cynthia, to upbraid her for indifference when the poet was on the eve of a voyage, probably that spoken of in El. 17. I Multa dura. Cf. inf. 18, 13, 'multa aspera.' The MS. Groning. has jura. 5 Hesternos. A beautiful expression, for 'quod ita mansit, ut heri erat.' Hertz., who quotes, after Brouckhusius, Ovid, A.A. iii. 154. 'Et neglecta decet multas coma: sæpe jacere hesternam credas; illa repexa modo est.'—An equally elegant term is faciem quærere, to adorn your person.' Desidia is here used literally, 'sitting at the toilet.' 7 Variare, de smaragdi atque electri vicibus intelligo in monili conjunctorum.'-Jacob. The word is properly used (both actively and in a neuter sense) rather of changing 5 IO 15 tints (e. g., of ripening grapes, the hues of the clouds, sea, and foliage,) than in the meaning either of αἰόλλειν, 'to diversify with alternate stripes,' or Tokidλew, 'to bespangle.' 9 It was not after this fashion that Calypso bewailed the departure of Ulysses.' Od. vii. 244, &c. See iii. 12, 13. 12 Injusto, i. e. sibi, 'cruel, inflicting a wrong on her,' by favouring the departure of Ulysses. 13-14 'Though about to lose him for ever, (and so having less concern in his safety than Cynthia has in mine) she wept from the recollection of past happiness.' He means to say that Cynthia ought to do the same if only from remembering the past, even though she had lost her regard for him henceforth. 15-16 These verses ought pro |