THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO

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250 P. OVIDII NASONIS LIBER III
Pictarumque jacent fera corpora pantherarum.
Exiluere viri: sive hoc insania fecit,
Sive timor: primusque Medon nigrescere pinnis, 95
Corpore depresso, et spinoe curvamine flecti
Incipit. Huic Lycabas: In quoe miracula, dixit,
Verteris? et lati rictus, et panda loquenti
Naris erat, squamamque cutis durata trahebat.
At Libys, obstantes dum vult obvertere remos, 100
In spatium resilire manus breve vi( it; et ilJas
Jam non esse manus; jam-pumas posse vocari.
Alter ad intortos cupicns dare brachia funes,
Brachia non habuit; truncoque repandus in undas
Corpore desiluit. Falcata novissima cauda est, 105
Glualia dividuoe sinuantur cornua Lunre.
Undique dant saltus; multaque aspergine rorant;
Einerguntque iterum; redeuntque sub cequora rursus;
Inque chori ludunt specicm; lascivaque jactant
Corpora; et acceptum patulis mare naribus efflant. 110
De modb viginti, tot enim ratis ilia ferebat,
Restabam solus. Pavidum gelidumque trementi
Corpore, vixque meum finnat deus, Excute, dicens,
Corde metum, Diamque tene. Delatus in illam ll*- Delatu« in illam
. ..-.-., ^. P . i i~ msulam frequento
Accensis ans Baccheia sacra frequento. 115 Bacciiein sacra ac-
Prffibuimus longis, Pentheus, ambagibus aures, cens" aris-
Inquit; ut ira rhora vires absumere posset.
PnEcipitem famuli rapite hunc; cruciataque diris
Corpora tormentis Stygioe dimittite nocti.
NOTJE.
94. Viri exiJuere: the men leaped over
board. Affrighted at the terrible appari
tions, they jumped into the sea. Homer,
in his Hymn to Bacchus, says that a lion
seized the commander of the ship, where
upon the sailors threw themselves into the
sea.
The ovve-struck crew the pilot gathered round,
Until the lion, -with terrific roar
Sprung forward, and their faithless leader tore;
Then urged by fear, they sought the sea divine,
And changed to dolphins, tossed the foaming
brine. HYMN TO UACCHUS.
96. Corpore depresso: with flattened
body.
97. In qua? miracula: into what a pro
digy ; into what a monster.
1O1. Resilire: to slart back; to shrink.
101. Trunco corpore: with mutilaled
body; with body deprived of arms and legs.
105. Novissima cauda: the extreme part
of the tail.
106. Diciditie lunrr,: of the half-moon.
109. In speciem c!inri: after the manner
of a chorus of dancers. This sportive mo
tion of the dolphin is noticed by Virgil:
Plaud alitrr Teucrum nati vestigia cursu
Impediunt, texuntque fugas, et prrclialudo,
Delphinum similes, qui per inaria humida
nando,
Carpathium Libycumque secant, luduntque per
undas. JEKsm, v. 592.
110. Naribus rfflant: spout from their
noslrils.
111. De viginti. Ovid describes the crew
as consisting of twenty persons ; Hyginus
says ihere were but twelve. Accctes was
the only one that was saved. The inno
cent are otten punished with the guilty.
Hence jEschylus :
"II yup %vvcttr€af ir\o7ov tvtrc6f]s dvfipt
,
dvcpttlv ovv Sconrvoru ycvci.
SEPTEM AD TIIEBAS.
113. Ercute metum: banish fear.
117. Ut ira posset. Pentheus tells
Aecetes that he had been relating a long
story, in order that his anger might be
mitigated by delay.
121. Claitditur: isshutup. So Euripides:
In iron chains *
The leader of our choir his pride detains.
Hid in some dreary place
Where night, with all its horrors darken*
round. BACCHJE.
FABULA VIII. METAMORPHOSED^..
Protinus abstractus solidis Tyrrhenus Acoetes 120
Clauditur in tectis; et, dum crudelia jussoe
Instrumenta necis, ferrumque ignisque parantur;
Sponte sua patuisse fores, lapsasque lacertis
Sponte sua fama est, nullo solvente, catenas.
NOTJE.
124. Sponte sua: of their own accord;
spontaneously. This appears to have been
imitated from Euripides, who describes a
like occurrence with the Thyades:
The dames, O king,
Seized by thee, and confined, with chains of iron
Bound in the common prison, are escaped
Far from thy sight and to the hallowed groves
Win their free way: spontaneous from their feet
The chains fell on, and of their own accord
Back rolled the opening gates, by mortal hands
Untouched. UACCH.S.
QU^ESTIONES.
What account does the leader of the
rites of Bacchus give of himself?
If Aecetes was of Mseonia, how is he
said to be of the Tyrrhene nation ?
What was the former occupation of
Acoetes?
For what did he exchange it ?
What is Taygete? The Hyades?
Arctos ?
By what star did the Greeks steer ?
By what star the Sidonians ?
Upon what island did Aecetes and his
companions land ?
Whom did Opheltes, the pilot, capture ?
Whom did he suppose him to be ?
Whom did Araetes recognise him lobe ?
Did he Iry to prevent the carrying off the
god?
Where is the island of Naxos ?
For what was Naxos famous ?
851
123. Fama est fo.-e»
patuisse sua sponte:
catenasgue fuisae lap-
sas lacertis sua
sponte, nullo solvente
tus.
In sublimity, how infinitely is this ficti
tious release of the high-priest of a fabu
lous deity, beneath a similar, but veritable
divine interposition in favor of the apostles
of the true God:
And at midnight. Paul and Silas prayed, ana
sung praises unto God ; and the prisoners heard
them. And suddenly there was a great earth
quake, so that the foundations of the prison
were shaken; and immediately all the doors
were opened, and every one's bonds were
loosed. ACTS xvi. 85,86.
Did the sailors promise to carry Bacchus
thither ?
Did they steer for Naxos or not ?
What prodigy happened ?
What impeded the oars, and overspread
the sails ?
What forms of animals appeared ?
Into what were the sailors changed ?
How many were in the ship ?
How many were spared from" transfor
mation ?
After relating the foregoing story, what
was done to Aecetes by Pentheus?
WhaVniraculous interposition was made
in his favor ?
Of what interpretation is this fable sus
ceptible ?
What incident at Naxos may have given
rise to it ?
What other explanation can be given ?