THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
THE METAMORPHOSES OF PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO
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66<br />
P. OVIDII <strong>NASO</strong>NIS<br />
Enumerare : minor fuit ipsa infamia vero.<br />
Moenala transieram latebris horronda ferarum,<br />
Et cum Cylleno gelidi pineta Lyccei.<br />
Arcades hinc sedes et inhospita tecta tyranni<br />
Ingredior, traherent cum sera crcpuscula noctem.<br />
Signa dedi venisse Deum ; vulgusnue precari<br />
Cceperat. Irridet prime pia vota Lycaon.<br />
Mox, ait, Experiar, Deus hie, discrimine aperto,<br />
An sit morialis ; nee erit dubitabile verum.<br />
Nocte gravem somno ncc opina perdere morte<br />
Me parat. Hiec Uli placet experientia veri.<br />
Nee contentus eo, missi de gtnte Molossa-<br />
Obsidis unius jugulum inucrone resolvit;<br />
Atque ita semineces partim ferventibus artus<br />
NOT^E.<br />
And God saw Hint the wickedness of man<br />
was great in the earth, and tlmt every imagina<br />
tion of the thoughts of his heart was only evil<br />
continually. GENESIS vi. 5.<br />
They are gone aside, they are all together be<br />
come filthy: there is none that Uoeth good, no<br />
not one. PSALM xiv.<br />
5. Minor fait vero: wag less than the<br />
reality. The report of the wickedness of<br />
mankind fell short of the actual truth.<br />
C. Mcenala. A mountain and city in Ar<br />
cadia, Greece, named from Maenalus, son<br />
of Areas; masculine in the singular, and<br />
neuter in the plural. See Grammar, p. 19.<br />
6. Latebris horrenda: terrible on account<br />
of the dens of wild beasts.<br />
7. Cylleno. A mountain in Arcadia,<br />
where Mercury was born, whence he is<br />
called Cyllenius.<br />
7. Pinela Lycasi: the pine-groves of Ly-<br />
cffius. Derivative nouns ending in ttmn,<br />
denote the place where their primitives<br />
aboujid, as pmvs, a pine ; pinetum, a pine-<br />
grove. Lycffius is a mountain of Arcadia,<br />
sacred to Pan. Hence he is named LycEpus.<br />
8. A rcados: Arcadian, a Greek adjec<br />
tive in the genitive case, agreeing with<br />
tyranni. Lycaon, who is here meant, is<br />
railed Areas, by anticipation, for it was<br />
his grandson after whom the counlry was<br />
called Arcadia. Before his time, it was<br />
called Parrhasia.<br />
8. luliospita tecla.- the inhospitable<br />
house; the part being put for ihe whole.<br />
As Jupiter was the doit v who presided over<br />
hosptialily, how expressive the opilhet ap<br />
plied to tfdn. The arts that transpired, of<br />
impiety, perfidy, niurder,.and inhospitably,<br />
show it was very appropriaie.<br />
9. Sera crepasritla : late twilight. In the<br />
decline of day, when there is a sabbmh-<br />
hke stillness upon the air, the soul natu- i<br />
rally aspires to heavrn. What time more |<br />
appropriate for the Deity to manifest him-<br />
self to man ? It was in the coolness of<br />
evening that God visited his erring chil<br />
dren in Paradise. i<br />
LIBER I,<br />
K 5. Tpfla infamia fmt<br />
minor vero Tronsie-<br />
ram Manilla horren-<br />
da liUehr'S ferarain,<br />
et pineta gelidi<br />
S. Hinc mirredior<br />
sedes et inhospltn ter-<br />
ta Arcades tjranm,<br />
10 cum sera crepusculi<br />
traherent noclem.<br />
Dedi signa Deum ii--<br />
niBse; vulgus*jnc eo?-<br />
< peral prccnri l'rim&<br />
Lycaon irndet ]>ia<br />
vota. Mox ait. Kx-<br />
periar, discrimine<br />
15 aperto, an hie Dcus<br />
sit mortaliso. Atone<br />
itapartirnmollit semi<br />
neces arms fervena-<br />
bus aquis. partirn tor-<br />
ruit eabjecto igni<br />
And they heard the voice of the Lord God<br />
walking in the garden in the cool of the day.<br />
GENESIS iii. &<br />
10. Signa dedi venisse Deum : I gave a<br />
sign that a god had come ; Borne manifest<br />
ation of divinity.<br />
10. Vulgusque precari cceperat : the com<br />
mon m people had begun to worship. . The<br />
simple in heart are more willing to 5 ield to<br />
God' s will, and pay him adoration. Hence :<br />
Not many \vise men after the flesh, not many<br />
mighty, not many noble, are called : but God<br />
hath chosen the foolish things of tlic world to<br />
confound the wise; and God hath chosen the<br />
weak things of the world to conlemid thetlungi<br />
which are mighty. 1 COHINTHJAXS i. 20, 27.<br />
11. Irridet pia vota : dendcs their pious<br />
prayers. It is sinful enough to be irreli<br />
gious, but infinitely worse to make light of<br />
piety in others, and endeavor to obstruct<br />
their devotion.<br />
But whoso shall ofiend one of these little ones<br />
which believe in me, it were better lor him thnt<br />
a millstone \i ere hanged about his neek, and that<br />
he were drowned in the depth of the sea<br />
MATT, xviii. 0.<br />
Ps e'er let the mystic Bacrinc.es move<br />
Deriding scorn ; but dread indignant Jove.<br />
HESIOD<br />
12. Experiar. He would try whether he<br />
was a god or not, by an attempt upon his<br />
life.<br />
Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God.<br />
ST. MATIIIKV.<br />
13. Nee erit verum .- nor shall the truth<br />
be doubtful. If a god, he could not bo<br />
slain ; if a mortal, he would be destroyed.<br />
1 1. Nee opina morte : by an unexpected<br />
death.<br />
1C. Nee contentus eo. Not content with<br />
having attempted to kill him, he offers hu<br />
man food to him.<br />
17. Jiiifiiliim resolvit : he cuts the throat.<br />
18. Sunineces artiis; the half-dead, qui<br />
vering limbs.<br />
With what a spring his furious soul broke loose,<br />
And leu the limbs still (jHicering oil the ground.<br />
AnmsoK<br />
FABULA VIII. METAMO'RPHOSEON.<br />
Mollit aquis, partim subjecto torruit igni.<br />
Q.UOS simul imposuit mensis, ego vindice flamma<br />
In domino dignos everti tecta Penates.<br />
Territus ille fugit, nactusque silentia ruris<br />
Exululat, frustraque loqui conatur: ab ipso<br />
Colligit os rabiem, solitseque cupidine coedis<br />
VertitlK in pecudus: et nunc quoque sanguine gaudet.<br />
In villos abeunt vestes, in crura lacerti,<br />
Fit lupus, et veteris servat vesiigia forma;.<br />
Canities eadem est, eadem violentia vultu:<br />
Idem oculi lucent: eadem feritatis imago.<br />
19. Subjecto igni.- with fire placed be<br />
neath; over the" fire.<br />
20. Imposuit menfis : get upon the table ;<br />
served up to be eaten. »<br />
20. Vindice famma: with avenging<br />
flames; with lightning.<br />
Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people; for he<br />
\vill avenge the blood of* his servants. DEUT.<br />
xxii. 43.<br />
Vengeance is mine; I will repay, Baith the<br />
Lord. ROMANS xii. 10.<br />
Oar God is a consuming fire. HEB. xii. £9.<br />
21. Domino; the master; the owner.<br />
21. Tecta. The roof of the house is<br />
here put, by metonymy, forthc house itself.<br />
22. Territus : affrighted he fled. The<br />
wicked flee from the presence of God ;<br />
thus Adam fled from the presence of Je<br />
hovah ; thus Cain fled after the slaughter<br />
of his brother.<br />
23. Silentia ruris : the silence of the<br />
country; the lonely parts of the country.<br />
Silentia is here used, poetically, for the<br />
singular.<br />
23. Exululat : he howls. He is already<br />
a wolf in propensities.<br />
What is the subject of this Fable 1<br />
What induced' Jupiter to visit the earth 1<br />
Under what form did he appear 1<br />
In what state did he find the morals of<br />
men?<br />
What reception did Lycaon give him ?<br />
What attempt did he make against his<br />
life? What indignity did he offer him after<br />
wards ?<br />
What did Jupiter do to his palace ?<br />
How did he treat Lycaon himself?<br />
Where was Mount Lycseus situated ?<br />
What gave the mountain its name ?<br />
Was Lycaon the nomcn or cognomen of<br />
the king of Arcadia ?<br />
What were f he Lycaea ? To what dif<br />
ferent gods offered ?<br />
What were the Lupcrcalia? What is<br />
the etymology of the word ?<br />
NOT^E.<br />
QU^STIONES.<br />
67<br />
Quos simul imporait<br />
raensls' ego vindice<br />
flamma everti tecta<br />
in Penates dignos do<br />
mino. -<br />
22. Ille territus fu<br />
git, qtie nactua ai-<br />
Fentia ruris exululat,<br />
que frustra conatur<br />
loQ"i : os eolligit ro,<br />
biemah ipso. quc<br />
SO. Vestes abeunt<br />
in villos, lacerti in<br />
crura. Fit lupus, et<br />
servat vestigia ve-<br />
teriB formoe. Canities<br />
eet eadem, violentia<br />
23. Ab ipso: ilself; from his own rave<br />
nous disposition.<br />
24. Rabiem : rage; foam.<br />
24. Cupidine cadis : wilh the desire ol<br />
wonted slaughter.<br />
25. Vertitur- he is turned; he turns.<br />
VertUur has the force of a verb in the mid<br />
dle voice.<br />
26. In villos abeunt: pass; are changed<br />
into hair.<br />
27. Fit lupus .- he becomes a wolf. The<br />
foolish stories told among the northern na<br />
tions, of men changed to wolves, have had<br />
their origin from a disease called lycan-<br />
thropy, a species of madness, which causes<br />
men to rage and foam at the mouth, and<br />
cry like wolves.<br />
27. Vestigia forma : traces of his former<br />
appearance; his hoariness and fierceness<br />
of countenance.<br />
28. Canili's. The hoariness of the wolf,<br />
and the brightness of his eyes, are noted by<br />
all naturalists, from Pliny to the present<br />
time.<br />
.28. Eadem. The repetition in the two<br />
last lines of the fable, by means of the<br />
figure, anaphora, is beautiful and forcible.<br />
See Grammar, p. 209.<br />
Who is said to have founded the Luper-<br />
calia ?<br />
Under what circumstances may the Ly<br />
csea, in Arcadia, have become the Luper<br />
calia. and been offered to Pan ?<br />
What ie the first interpretation of tho<br />
change of Lycaon into a wolf?<br />
What is the second interpretation ?<br />
What makes it possible that reference if<br />
had to Nimrod ?<br />
Why may the fable have reference to tho<br />
history of Cain ?<br />
Repeat the points of resemblance be-<br />
tween the history of Cain and the story of<br />
Lycaon ?<br />
What figure is used in the concluding<br />
lines of the fable ?<br />
What is anaphora ?<br />
*