THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
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Mi<br />
60 P. OVIDII N ASONIS<br />
Hac iter est Superis ad magni tecta Tonantis,<br />
Regalemque domum. Dextra loevaque Deorum<br />
Atria nobilium valvis celebrantur apertis.<br />
Plebs habitant diversa locis. A fronte potentes<br />
Coslicoloe, clarique sues posuere. penates.<br />
Hie locus est, quern, si vcrbis audacia detur,<br />
Haud timeam inagni dixisse Palatia cosli.<br />
Ergo ubi marmoreo Superi sedere recessu,<br />
Celsioripse loco, sceptroque innixus eburno,<br />
Terrificam capitis concussit terquc quaterque<br />
Csesariem ; cum qua terram, mare, sidera, movit.<br />
NOTJE.<br />
8. Hac •• through this. Via is understood.<br />
8. Tecta: the house; t ccla, the roof of<br />
the house being put, by synecdoche, for<br />
the house ttseH.<br />
8. Tonaniis; the thundercr. This is an<br />
epithet of great dignity, nrid is used by<br />
several different nations. Tho Greeks had<br />
their Jlrontttes, and the Goths their Tlior.<br />
Pliny, who attempts to explain, in a na<br />
tural way, many of the mylhi of the an<br />
cients, says:<br />
The thunder is assigned to Jupiter, because,<br />
being placed between the planets Saturn and<br />
Mars, the former of which is too cold, the fatter<br />
too fiery, a conflict of the n\ o takes plnce in the<br />
region ot Jupiter, and the thunder and lightning<br />
arc em ttcd. just as a coal leaps with a iLoise<br />
from u burning brand.<br />
9. Dixtra lavnque: on the right and left<br />
of the Milky Way."<br />
9. Diorum nvbilium: of the principal<br />
gods. The Romans reckoned two classes<br />
of gods the dii mnjorum gentium, and the<br />
dii mnijrum gentium. The former, or<br />
principal, were twelve in number, six<br />
males and six females, and were some<br />
times called coasentes, because admitted to<br />
the councils of Jupiter; they were:<br />
Juno, Vesta, Minerva,Ceres, Diaaa, Venus. Mars,<br />
Mercurius, Neptunus, Jupiter,Vulunnus, Apollo<br />
ENMUS.<br />
10. Celthranlur: are thronged.<br />
10. Valaif aperlis: with open doors.<br />
PaZixg are folding doors that meet in the<br />
centre, and open inwards. Fores are doors<br />
that open outwards.<br />
11. Plebs. The inferior deities, gene<br />
rally called the dii minornm gentium, nrid<br />
dividcdintora/xcriprf'd'iond iudigrtes. The<br />
former were deified heroes, received into<br />
heaven ; the latter were tutelary deities of<br />
the country.<br />
11. A frame. In front, the principal of<br />
the dii majores have placed their resi<br />
dences, as Jupiter, Neptune, Miiiervn.<br />
12. Posuere pennies : have placed their<br />
residences; literally, their household gods.<br />
Penates is put, by metonymy, for cJomo«.<br />
14. Palatia: the court of heaven; the<br />
palace; so called from the Palatium at<br />
Rome, which was sitaated at the chief<br />
LIBER I,<br />
6. Est sublimis via,<br />
manifesto screno eoi-<br />
lo, ilia liabel nomen<br />
Lactea; notabilis ipso<br />
candore. Hue est iter<br />
Superis lid tecta mag<br />
ni Tonantis, regalem<br />
que domum. PJebs<br />
habitant divorsa locis.<br />
Polenles clarique ece-<br />
licoLu posuerc suol<br />
penates a trunte.<br />
15. Ergo ubi Super!<br />
sedere marmoreo re-<br />
cessu, ipse cclsior<br />
loco, quo innixua<br />
eburno eceptro,<br />
eminence of the Palatine bill, and con<br />
tained the houses of the emperor. It is an<br />
indirect and delicate compliment to Au<br />
gustus. He flatters also, with adroitness,<br />
the two great parties at Rome, the patri<br />
cians and plebeians, by designating the two<br />
classes of gods under the titles ot nohtlcs,<br />
and plclis, the celestial populace.<br />
15. Marmono recessu ; marble recess.<br />
In the inwnrd part of the palace paved with<br />
marble. How inferior in majesty is this<br />
picture of the gods assembling, and taking<br />
their scats in the marble recess, to the ad<br />
vent of Jehovah to fill his temple, as de<br />
scribed by the sacred penman !<br />
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye<br />
lifted up, ye everlasting doors ; and the King o(<br />
glory shall come in. PSALM xxiv.<br />
16. Celsior loco: higher in place. Kings<br />
are accustomed to sit higher than those<br />
around them.<br />
High on a throne of royal state, which far<br />
Outshone the wealth of Ormus, and of Ind ;<br />
Or where the gorgeous East, with richest hand,<br />
Showers on her kings' barbaric pearl and gold,<br />
Satan exalted sat. MILTON.<br />
1C. Sceptro. The sceptre was an ensign<br />
of royalty borne by kings. It was pecu<br />
liarly applicable to Jupiter, as sovereign,<br />
both of Heaven and Earth.<br />
17. Cancussil. In describing the indig<br />
nation of Jove, the poet appears to have<br />
copied after Homer, in the first Iliad. Vir<br />
gil has a similar picture in the JEnciil, but<br />
they arc all greatly inferior in majesty to<br />
the descent of Legislative Deity, upon the<br />
summits of Sinai.<br />
Annuit ct totuin uutu tremefecit Olympum.<br />
Then the earth shook and trembled : the foun<br />
dations also of the hills moved, and were<br />
shaken, because he was wroth. Thrrc -went<br />
up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out ol<br />
his month devoured : coals -were kindled by it.<br />
He howed the heavens also, and c.inie down;<br />
and darkness was under his feet. And he rode<br />
upon a cherub and did fly : yea, he did fly upon<br />
the wings of the "wind I*SALM xviii.<br />
18. Movit. By which he shook the earth,<br />
the sea, and the stars.<br />
The pillars of heaven tremble, and ara as<br />
tonished at his reproof. JOB ixvi. 11<br />
METAMORPHOSEON.<br />
Talibus inde modis ora indignantia solvit.<br />
Non ego pro mundi regno magis anxius ilia 20<br />
Tempi-state'fui, qua centum quisque parabat<br />
Injicere anguipedum captive brachia coslo ;<br />
Nam, quanqunm ferus hostis erat, tamen illud ab uno<br />
Corpore, et ex Una pendebat origine bellum.<br />
Nunc mihi, qua totuin Nereus circumtonat orbem, 25<br />
Perdendum mortale genus. Per flumina jaro<br />
Infera, sub terras Stygio labentia luco,<br />
i9. Solvit : he opened his indignant<br />
mouth.<br />
21. Tempeitale: at that time.<br />
22. Anguipedum ; the genitive plural of<br />
anguipes, snake-looted. Macrobius says,<br />
they were called snake-footed, because<br />
they thought of nothing upright or sublime,<br />
but were always grovelling, and that every<br />
etep they took seemed to incline to hell.<br />
There is probably some reference to the<br />
serpent, by which sin entered the world.<br />
On thy belly shall thou crawl, and dust shall<br />
thou eal all the dayp of thy life. GENESIS iii.<br />
22. Caplivo ccelo: captive heaven; which<br />
they wished to render captive.<br />
22. Cenlitmlrachia: their hundred hands.<br />
Arms of hundred-handed gripe<br />
Burst from their shoulders ; filly heads upgrevv.<br />
ELTOVS HESIOD.<br />
23. Ferus Jiostis: a cruel enemy. Horace<br />
describes them as causing great terror to<br />
Jupiter.<br />
Magnum ilia terrorem intulerat Jovt<br />
Fidcns juvcntus horridabrachiis.<br />
Lib. iii. Ode iv.<br />
24. Corpore : from one body; the com<br />
munity of giants.<br />
21. Una origine: from one origin; one<br />
cause the ambition and pride oi the giants.<br />
25. Nereus. Nereus is a god of the sea,<br />
but is here put, by metonymy, for the sea<br />
itself.<br />
The sea gave Nereus life, unerring serr,<br />
And true : most ancient of his race, whom all<br />
Mail as the sage. HESIOE.<br />
25. Circumtoitat. A forcible metaphor<br />
to express the extent and power ot the<br />
Ocean.<br />
Let the djre Andes, from tlie radiant line<br />
Stretched to the stormy seas that thunder round<br />
Tlie southern pole, their hideous deeps nnfuld !<br />
THOMSON.<br />
26. Perdendum. The human race must<br />
be destroyed. The agreement is wonder<br />
ful, between the Biblical and the heathen<br />
account:<br />
And the I