Sis licet immitis, matrisque ferocior undis, Ut taceam, lacrimis comminuere meis. Nunc quoque-sic omnes Peleus pater impleat annos, 135 Sic eat auspiciis Pyrrhus ad arma tuis !— Respice sollicitam Briseïda, fortis Achille, Quam sine te cogis vivere, coge mori. Ah! potius serves nostram, tua munera, vitam: 136. e G hospiciis P, ad arma tuus patris P. 149. Ah P at G. 150. Domini iure P, more libri plurimi. monuisse sui,' the reading proposed by Heinsius, 'to remind of one's self,' is very feeble, and has little or no manuscript authority. For 134. Though I keep silence, you will be made to falter by my tears.' 'comminuere,' cf. Met. xii. 471, 'Nec te natalis origo Comminuit ?' does not the knowledge of your origin weaken your courage?' (addressed to Caeneus, who had previously been a woman). ('Commonuit,' the reading of Merkel, is weaker). The simple verb 'minuo' is sometimes used as in a sense akin to this. Liv. xxi. 52, 'Consul vulnere suo minutus,'' dispirited by his wound.' 140 145 150 going), you will compel me.' Cf. vii. 147, Utque latet, vitatque tuas abstrusa carinas:' and if the land keeps hid as it has done.' Corpus,' 'flesh,' as we say, not indeed in poetry: Cf. Met. vii. 291, 'Adiectoque cavae supplentur corpore rugae.' 142. Sustinet hoc animae.] 'The little life I have is supported by the hope of you alone. For sustinet,' cf. i. 114, note. 143. Repetam.] I will rejoin my brothers and my husband' (i. e. kill myself) V. supra, 103, 105. 147. Si dea passa fuisset.] Pallas, Il. i. 194. 154. Domini iure.] 'Summon me by the right of an owner.' Cf. viii. 8, and ix. 109, note. Me modo, sive paras impellere remige classem, EPISTOLA IV. PHAEDRA HIPPOLYTO. QUA, nisi tu dederis, caritura est ipsa salute, Perlege quodcumque est : quid epistola lecta nocebit ? Inspicit acceptas hostis ab hoste notas. Ter tecum conata loqui ter inutilis haesit Lingua, ter in primo destitit ore sonus. Qua licet et sequitur, pudor est miscendus amori. 1. Quam P sub. ras. salutem P, sub ras. G, salute M. 5 IV. The chief source from whence Ovid derived the materials for this Epistle was the Hippolytus of Euripides, the spirit of which he has wonderfully caught: in fact the way in which Ovid, without being a plagiarist, seizes on and enlarges the exact conceptions of the authors from whom he takes his characters forms one of the most striking attributes of his genius. This is well exemplified in his Dido, drawn from Virgil's. This Epistle is supposed to be written to Hippolytus at Troezen by his stepmother Phaedra, during the absence of Theseus. Vide Class. Dict. s. n. Hippolytus. 2. Puella.] Though 'puella' is generally used of unmarried girls, and sometimes as equivalent to virgo' ('prosit mihi vos dixisse puellas,' Juv. iv. 36), instances are not wanting where it is · used of young married women, as hereProp. IV. xii. 17, quid faciet nullo munita puella timore' of Galla, the wife of Postumus. Id. V. iii. 72, 'Subscribam salvo grata puella viro.' Amazonio:' Hippolytus was son of the Amazon Hippolyte, or Antiope, according to another account. 4. Notas' and 'notis' coming so close together displease some. But Ovid often purposely repeats the same phrase for the sake of emphasis. He never does so accidentally, however, and therefore this passage cannot be cited in defence of the repetition of 'dolo' in i. 40, 42, where there is no emphasis whatever. See note on xiv. 62. Dicere quae puduit, scribere iussit amor. 'Scribe! dabit victas ferreus ille manus.' Fama-velim quaeras-crimine nostra vacat. Venit amor gravius, quo serius. Urimur intus: 10 15 16. Figat PG, fingat codd. nonnulli. Vix operae pretium est enumerare coniecturas quales sunt frangat Burmanni, stringat Handi, et in v. 15 pro fovet, Francii vorat Oudendorpii coquit. 19. Venit P G urit codd. nonnulli. 'pudor' as nominative, and 'amorem' as object. This construction is supported by line 155, where Phaedra says shame had ceased to accompany her love: 'Depuduit profugusque pudor sua signa reliquit.' Others take "sequitur' impersonally : wherever it is easy.' Thus Gronovius renders it 'facile est,' and Burmann 'utile, conveniens est.' But no instances have been cited where sequitur' is used impersonally in these senses. Its only impersonal use is, I think, that used in argument it follows.' Ruhnken follows Gesner in giving the construction I have adopted. Phaedra's meaning is: 'I was ashamed to speak; and I was right not to speak for shame should, if possible, attend on love: so I write. 11. Quidquid amor iussit non est contemnere tutum.] This is the sum of the doctrine of Hippolytus : Σφάλλω δ ̓ ὅσοι φρονοῦσιν εἰς ἡμᾶς μέγα, vs. 6. 6 Am. 12. Dominos deos.] Cf. Hor. Od. i. 6, 'Terrarum dominos evehit ad deos.' III. x. 18, Haec decet ad dominos munera ferre deos.' For 'ius habere in aliquid,' Cf. Am. I. i. 5, 'Quis tibi, saeve puer, dedit hoc in carmina iuris?' 14. Dare manus.] 'to yield:' a wellknown metaphor from the arena, where a conquered gladiator confessed his defeat by extending his hands towards his conqueror. Ovid generally joins some participle with manus' in this phrase, as 'victas' here, 'cunctatas' in xvii. 260.. = Pectora iactatas excutiatque faces. Quo me fixit Amor, quo me violentius ussit, Hoc melior facti vulneris ultor ero. The bow and torch of love are alluded to in ii. 40; altera tela arcus, altera tela faces,' and so frequently. In mea vota: this is an idiom Ovid is very fond of. Cf. v. 58, Scilicet ut venias in mea damna celer;' and Met. vii. 738, 'in mea pugno vulnera.' The accusative within' in these passages denotes the end aimed at, or the object arrived at. 17. I will not break the marriage tie by mere wanton lewdness.' The emphatic word is nequitia,' mere unchastity, such as that of a woman like Messalina, for instance, which Phaedra repudiates and contrasts with her own passion, which she regards as pure, being the first she ever felt. Urimur, et caecum pectora vulnus habent. Si tamen ille prior, quo me sine crimine gessi, At bene successit, digno quod adurimur igni. 20. Caecum P G tacitum unus cod. Heins. 26. Quae venit P G libri omnes. Heins. coni. cui venit sc. amor. Werferus coni. calet. Sed nihil mutandum. Obelo locum notavit M. 27. Carpis P G M carpes vulg. capies codd. nonnulli. Hanc lect. praetuli, quia carpere mox occurrit v. 29, unde huc quoque redundavit. 31. Sic tamen P si tamen codd. nonnulli. Si et sic in codd. saepius inter se confunduntur. Et tamen G sed tamen vulg. 25. When intriguing is practised from early life, it becomes a mere trade: but she who comes to love in later years loves more distractedly.' The strong word 'crimen' is intentionally used by Phaedra to show her condemnation of flirtation or inconstancy otherwise she might have used the more euphemious term furtum.' Verse 26 is obelised by Merkel without cause, as I think. Venit,' sc. ad amandum,' to be supplied out of the meaning of the previous line, no very harsh ellipse. Cui venit,' the suggestion of Heinsius, demands the ellipse of'amor,' which is at least equally harsh. 'Exacto tempore,' 'when her time is spent.' Cf. Hor. Sat. i. 118. Peius amat:' cf. vii. 30, 'peius amo.' vi. 157, 'peiusque relinquat.' 27. I prefer capies' to 'carpes,' because I do not think any examples can be found of 'carpo' joined with a word like 'libamina.' 31-33. Well, if it was fated that my former spotless purity should be marked with an unwonted stain, it has at any rate turned out well that I am consumed by a worthy flame.' 'Si tamen' resembles the Greek use of the particles εἰ δ ̓ οὖν, see Aesch. Ag. 1009, where its force is explained by Paley. A mental ellipse is always implied. ('Twere better indeed not to have sinned), but if it was fated,' etc. With 'digno quod adurimur igni,' cf. Hor. Od. I. xxvii. 15, non erubescendis adurit Ignibus, ingenuoque semporeAmore peccas.' Peius adulterio turpis adulter obest. Si mihi concedat Iuno fratremque virumque, Hippolytum videor praepositura Iovi. Iam quoque-vix credesignotas mittor in artes: Iam mihi prima dea est arcu praesignis adunco In nemus ire libet, pressisque in retia cervis Aut tremulum excusso iaculum vibrare lacerto, Torquentem frenis ora fugacis equi. 35 40 45 37. Credes P G credas codd. nonnulli. Mutor in artes P GM mittor multi codd. et edd. vett. Heins. coni. nitor et id exhibent duo scripti. Perplacet mittor propter Met. vii. 188. 46. Fugacis G et fortassis P sub. ras. sequacis al. 34. A base adulterer is worse than adultery itself.' 'Obest' is certainly better than 'abest.' Ruhnken and others 37. Mittor in artes.] 'I let myself loose into pursuits hitherto unknown.' 'Mutor,' 'nitor,' and 'mittor,' are readings which at first sight it is difficult to decide between. Lennep thought 'mittor' was rendered probable by a comparison with Eur. Hipp. 233, Νῦν δὴ μὲν ὄρος βᾶσ' ἐπὶ θήρας πόθον ἐστέλλου which Ovid may have had in his mind, and used 'mittor,' thinking of oriλλov. This is possible; but I do not think the meaning of the word mittor' here is that assigned to it by Lennep: 'quasi invita, contra naturam mei sexus agor, abripior, ire iubeor.' Nearly the opposite sense, that of 'letting loose,' 'giving free play,' is the meaning both of ἐστέλλου, and of 6 mittor;' and in this sense 'mittor' is supported by the following passage from Met. vii. 188, which I think is decisive in its favour, 'Dixit et ignotas animum dimittit in artes,' said of Daedalus, when about to construct wings. 'Nitor in artes' would resemble nitimur in vetitum,' Am. III.iv. 17, 'nitor in adversum,' Met. ii. 72. 'Mutor in artes' would be rather a compendious mode of expression, the nearest parallel to which in Ovid I find in Pont. I. i. 79, 'Inque locum Scythico vacuum mutabor ab arcu.' 41-44. Cf. Eur. Hipp. 215 sqq., πέμπετε μ' εἰς ὄρος, εἶμι πρὸς ὕλαν καὶ παρὰ πεύκας ἴνα θηροφόνοι στείβουσι κύνες 6 βαλιαῖς ἐλάφοις ἐγχριμπτομένα. κ.τ.λ. 43. Excusso lacerto.] With arm shot forth.' 'Excusso' refers to the vigorous jerk with which the arm is, as it were, shaken out in throwing a spear. On the other hand adductus' is used of the first part of the action where the forearm is drawn back to the shoulder; Torserat adductis hastilia lenta lacertis,' Met. viii. 28. For excussus,' cf. Sen. de Benef. ii. 6, 'infinitum interest, utrum tela excusso lacerto torqueantur, an remissa manu effluant.' Cf. Petronius 95, 'excussissima palma.' |