Latin Aeneid VI Prelection
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1. classi – note the verb. What declension is this word?
2. oris – as above; note that oris is from ora, orae, not os, oris (n.).
3. pelago – as above. Hmmm! tenaci modifies dente. How is that possible?
4. navīs – archaic accusative one more time.
5. iuvenum is 3rd declension. What case therefore?
8. silvas is in apposition with tecta. Remember the meaning of invenio?
9. arcīs – check navīs in 4. Quibus – check the verb in the relative clause. The book says
there was some connection. Modern scholars believe the cave runs along the side of
the hill, which was the citadel (arx) of ancient Cumae.
10. –que connects what? Ans.: arcīs and secreta, which are the D.O. of petit.
11. antrum – in apposition with secreta. Antecedent of cui is Sibyllae; for C+R check the
verb
12. aperit is also in the relative clause. futura is a neuter plural noun here.
13. lucos, tecta – both would have the preposition in in Latin prose. Who is Trivia and why
does she have a grove near Apollo’s citadel?
15. ausus – a participle from audeo, audere, ausus. Verb is semi–deponent – deponent only
in tenses formed from 3rd and 4th principal parts (perfect, pluperfect, and future
perfect). Others are gaudeo, soleo, fido. Note that all but fido are 2nd conjugation.
15. pinnīs – here abl. means, since caelo is the dative with credere.
16. Note that adjectives here precede both the preposition and the noun they go with.
17. levis is an adjective (nom.) best translated as an adverb here.
18. redditus – a participle from reddo, reddere, reddidi, redditus – give back. How does
this affect his terris. Note that tibi goes with sacravit.
19. What does the oarage of wings mean? Remember, this is Daedalus.
20. Androgeo is the genitive in Greek when transliterated into Latin. What does this man’s
name mean. It is a different man, but the same name as in Book II.370–382.
21. iussi – I like to take as a participle with Cecropidae, which is then parallel with letum.
22. Note that corpora is in apposition with poenas. What does ductis sortibus look like?
23. Contra – an adverb and it indicates a shift to the other side of the door and to the other
side of the Mediterranean. elata is participle from effero. Remember that mari is
declined like an adjective on page 17. Gnosus (here in the adj. Gnosia) is normally
written Knossos in Greek spelling; note –i– added to the stem to make it an adjective.
24. supposta – a participle from sub–pono; note the roots, which suggest the story of the
device that Daedalus built for Pasiphae. The disappearance of the i from suppositus
is an example of syncopation. furto is abl. manner.
26. Veneris – here it is almost a metonomy for love. Think about all the other examples in
the Aeneid where love has been the basis for action. Almost invariably the result is
bad. You might look up the story of Minos and Pasiphae and all their children; not
your typical happy family.
27. Note the arrangement of the words. What word is in the middle? Is that the home of the
Minotaur, the center of the maze? Note the two nouns and the second adjective. Some
believe the immense (2000+ rooms uncovered by archeologists) was the labyrinth.
28. reginae – refers to the queen's daughter Ariadne, since Pasipahae died in the birth of the
Minotaur. What is the C+R?
31. Supply si with sineret; This is a contrary to fact condition in present time, hence the
imperfect subjunctives.
32. casus – note the word play (reinforced by cecidere – What form?) in the next line.
33. Quin – furthermore. protinus is the adverb: at once.
34. ni equals nisi: unless or if . . . not. Note the subjunctives in what is called a contrary
to fact condition in past time.
Latin Aeneid VI Prelection
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35. adforet equals adesset. una is the adverb: along (with).
36. Deiphobe is the Sibyl's name, not used again. Glauci is a genitive and refers to her
father, not mentioned again.
37. The verb tells which of the neuter nouns is subject and which is object. Note the
contrast between hoc and ista.
39. praestiterit – potential subjunctive: it would be better. The verb is impersonal.
bidentīs is archaic accusative.
41. viri is nom. subject of morantur. Whar does that make sacra iussa?
42. Excisum (erat) – note that the subject is the neuter noun latus. Note the arrangement
of the words.
43. quo equals ad quem locum. Note the lack of anaphora.
44. unde equal ex quo loco.
45. Ventum erat – impersonal verb equal to venerant. Do you need to review
impersonal verbs? It might help: Gram. App. 213b, 290, 258, 366.
46. Note that deus is nominative, suggesting that a verb like adest is understood.
46. fanti modifies the connecting relative cui, which is a dat. of possession; note the
substantive talia, which is a direct object of fanti.
48. mansere – from maneo. What form?
49. viderī is an historic infinitive, or you can take it the way the book does
50. mortale is an adverbial accusative with sonans, which the book calls a cognate
accusative. Check the G.A. 313.
51. propriore – note the comparative. She is closer to being inspired (adflata – breathed
upon) by the god. Note that cesso is 1st conjugation. Note the accusatives after in.
What sense does that suggest?
52. ante is an adverb here.
53. Note the arrangement of the words. Note that fata is nom. and talia is not. Note a bit
of ring composition with talia fanti (46) and talia fata (53).
54. Teucris is dat. of reference equal to a genitive of possession.
56. gravīs is yet another archaic accusative. miserate – perfect participle of miseror,
miserari, miseratus, here in the vocative.
57. direxti equals direxisti; note second person: you who (with qui).
58. corpus – important to recognize its C+R; terras is governed by obeuntia, which
modifies maria (Acc. P.T.W.) after intravi (the main verb, finally).
59. duce te – remember that there is no present participle of the verb sum. This is an abl.
abs. repostas is the same as repositas; check supposta in line 24.
60. gentīs – another archaic accusative. Same C+R as maria. Syrtibus – check the
participle that it depends on for C+R.
62. fuerit secuta – the equivalent of sit secuta, an optative (book calls it jussive)
subjunctive expressing a wish or prayer.
64. quibus – check the verb for the C+R. Note that the verb has two subjects and agrees
with the nearest one, rather than being plural.
66. praescia – vocative modifying vates. da has the sense of give the power.
67. fatis depends on indebita for its C+R.
68. Note the arrangement of the words; the accusatives are parallel with Teucros.
70. instituam – note how the verb has two different objects.
71. Note the arrangement of the words.
72. sortīs is another archaic accusative.
73. genti is dat. I.O. with ponam (future of pono).
74. alma – vocative. tantum – adverb: only. ne manda in prose would be noli mandare,
a negative command (imperative).
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75. ne introduces a negative purpose clause. Note the arrangement of the words; get a
picture from them?
76. canas – understand an ut for this indirect command depending on oro. What part of
speech is loquendi? Note that it is the only word with a genitive ending in the
sentence. Hmmm!
77. Phoebi – genitive depending on patiens. immanis modifies vates in 78 and suggests
size larger than normal or unusual (one editor suggested wild(ly))
78. Note bacchatur and how this word was used of rumor and Dido. Hmmm! For the
Romans the idea of a woman under the influence of drink, emotions or the gods
was a very scary situation.
79. The imagery into the next line is from taming a wild horse as the god begins to
possess and inspire (in the root sense of breathe into, as we saw with adflata in
50). Note that tanto is abl. degree of difference.
80. premendo – refers to controlling the horse by pressing with one’s legs.
81. patuere – what are those four letters at the end of the perfect stem? S? U? V? X?
Yes they are. So this is an archaic perfect!
82 vatis – note the genitive singular; the nominative singular is back in line 78.
83. defuncte – voc. of participle of a verb with fungor root. CLUE!
84. terrae is locative, equal to an abl. P.I.W.
86. Understand se as subject of venisse, which is not strictly speaking the Latin grammar.
87. Note the arrangement of the words. Get any picture?
88. The first two proper names are rivers near Troy.
89. defuerint – from desum. partus (erit) from pario, parire, peperi, partus (look it up
and don’t confuse with paro, parare, paravi, paratus or pareo, parere.
90. addita – a participle from addo; here in the sense of in addition. It modifies Iuno.
91. aberit – from absum: be away. Note how the cum clause is not really completed, but
in line 92 the Sibyl starts to use exclamations. This is called anacoluthon and is
akin to aposiopesis. Here the sentence is completed, but not in the way that it was
started.
92. quas – what . . . ! Note the anaphora and the parallel construction.
93. hospita is an adjective here. Teucris is dative of reference, I guess.
94. thalami is nominative.
95. audentior is nominative but take almost as an adverb. contra is an adverb here.
96. quam – than.
99. canit – from cano; used because oracles were given in meter (dactyllic hexameter).
Note remugit is used of cows, earthquakes, and windstorms.
100. obscuris – for C+R check the participle. vera is a substantive also. furenti is dative
of reference and refers to the Sybil. Note the resumption of the horse imagery,
from 79f.
102. ut primum – as soon as. Note the arrangement of words.
104. ulla – first of three adjectives with noun facies; also nova and inopina. laborum is
of course genitive.
105. omnia is D.O. of both verbs in the line.
107. dicitur – is said (to be). palus is also subject of verb.
108. Note the arrangement of the words. Note also that conspectum and ora make a nice
hendiadys.
109. contingat – present subjunctive, as are other two verbs in line. Note the arrangement
of the words also.
111. recepi – here in the sense of recover, rescue; note that illum continues as the D.O.
Latin Aeneid VI Prelection
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112. comitatus – understand est; the verb is comitor, –ari. maria is object of some
understood preposition like super.
113. Note the arrangement of the words.
114. invalidus modifies the subject of ferebat; vīirīs is archaic accusative and object of
ultra.
115. Quin – furthermore, in addition. ut introduces an indirect command depending on
mandata or orans.
116. īdem is nominative singular, referring to Anchises
117. precor – is an interjection, equivalent to please. miserere is a present imperative of
a deponent verb, which here takes its objects in the genitive. potes has the
meaning of be powerful in.
118. lucis – check verb for C+R. Hecate – a goddess of the Underworld (CF. Macbeth),
identified with both Proserpina and Diana/Luna.
119. manīs – archaic accusative
120. Note the arrangement of the words. Note that fretus takes an ablative of respect;
note that fides, fidium is a plural noun of the 3rd declension and does not mean
faith.
122. totiens is an adverb: so often, so many times.
123. memorem from memoro, memorare: speak of, mention. Remember line 8, Book I?
et means also here because it is not connecting equal things.
124. tenebat aras is a sign of urgency on the part of the person praying. Check Book
IV.229 where Iarbas is so described.
126. The second half is a very famous saying.
127. What does atque connect here? How are they equal?
128. Infinitives are really nouns and both are in apposition with the two nouns in the next
line.
129. Pauci is subject of potuere; it is modified by geniti.
131. silvae – subject of tenent; Note the mini–ecphrasis.
132. Note the arrangement of the words. Cocytos is a Greek word and this is the
nominative.
133. Quod si – But if. Note the arrangement of the words and the lack of a verb (supply
est with each noun). Anaphora does signal parallel construction here.
135. iuvat – impersonal verb and check Book II.776 for a similar idea. What's the
difference? What's the problem with Aeneas? labori – check that infinitive for the
C+R.
136. accipe – clearly has English derivative; but note that if one accepts through one's
ears, one hears. peragenda – note the intensifying prefix on the gerundive. Why?
137. Note the arrangement of the words. The ablatives explain aureus. Hmmm!
138. dictus – check back on line 107 for meaning.
138. hunc – antecedent is ramus; it is also D.O. of claudunt.
140. datur – impersonal verb: it is granted, permitted. subire – what other verb could
Vergil have used? None! It's perfect!
141. ante . . . quam – read the note; the usual tmesis.
142. hoc . . . suum . . . munus these three words are the acc. subj. of infin. (ferri).
143. instituit – has ordained (in the sense of has established as a rule). Alter has the
sense here of another, a second.
144. frondescit – note the –esco ending on the verb, indicating something that is
beginning to be . . . ), what we call a cohative verb. simili is a 3rd declension
adjective. What case? Page 17 anyone?
145. vestigā is an imperative. repertum is a participle modifying an understood ramum.
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146. ipse – antecedent is ramus.
149. iacet – as often, with the sense of lie dead.
152. sedibus suis – as the note suggests, to it's (the body's) place (i.e., a tomb). Note the
two imperatives, one of an irregular verb (refer).
153. Read the notes in the book. sunto – in the notes.
154. vivīs – dative of reference depending on invia.
156. lumina accusative with middle voice or take as an adverbial accusative with
defixus.
159. For a different echo of this line. check Book II. 724, where Ascanius is described.
161. The anaphora suggests the parallel construction with vates as the subject, diceret as
the verb in the indirect questions introduced by quem and quod.
163. venere – another archaic perfect. peremptum – from perimo; it modifies
Misenum.
164. quo – for C+R check praestantior.
165. Check out how Vergil worked on this line – note the arrangement of words and all
the other FS. This line took effort!
166. hic is nom. sing masc. of the demonstrative pronoun; the antecedent is Misenum.
Note that Hectora is governed by circum.
167. lituo and hasta depend on insignis for C+R; pugnas is Acc. P.T.W. without a
preposition.
169. sese is Misenus, the fortissimus heros.
170. Note the linkage, made by a clever FS, with Hector.
171. forte – adverb: by chance. Note the unusual verb personat, which takes a direct
object and has the sense of make (dir. obj.) resound.
172. cantu – best as ablative of respect depending on certamina.
173. exceptum – modifies virum and can here be translated as a verb parallel with
immerserat. The si clause is a weak disclaimer by the poet, showing that he is
not vouching for the authenticity of the story.
175. circum – an adverb here. Remember the Romans thought fremo was
onomatopoetic, which is appropriate here.
177. haud mora – a parenthetical sentence with est understood. flentes – participle
substantive as subject of festinant.
178. certant – takes complementary infinitives (congerere, educere).
179. Itur – impersonal verb like in 45.
180. Note the arrangement of words. icta – participle from ico, which modifies ilex.
181. Note the arrangement of words. Note the word in the middle of all the wood.
Hmmm! Remember trees are feminine, except for robur; note fissile.
182. ingentīs – archaic accusative. montibus – Abl. P.F.W., because Dat. C.V. makes no
sense at all.
183. Note the arrangement of words.
185. haec is Acc. D.O. and refers to all that has just happened.
188. ostendat is a subjunctive, and expresses a wish. omnia is Acc. D.O. of locuta est,
for which vates is the subject.
191. ipsa modifies ora. volantes modifies columbae. venere is another archaic perfect.
192. viridī – how can it modify solo, which is from solum, –i, meaning ground?
Remember that heros is a nominative because it is a Greek word.
193. avīs is archaic accusative.
194. si qua equals si aliqua, as usual.
195. pinguem dives – two words meaning rich. pinguis is rich in the sense of fertile,
while dives is rich in the sense of wealthy.
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197. pressit – from premo, premere, pressi, pressus: press, check, stop.
198. Note the indirect questions. quo equals ad quem locum.
199. Pascentes illae are the columbae. prodire is historical infinitive, equal to an
imperfect verb. volando is a gerund. What C+R?
200. acie – from acies, aciei: sharp edge; then it means eye, keen vision, sight that can
note a sharp edge; then it means battle line, which possesses a sharp edge of
swords and also can extend as far as a general's line of sight. 5th declension noun,
like res and dies. sequentum is gen. pl. of participle used as a substantive.
201. vēnēre – archaic perfect again. The present stem has a short e: venio. grave is an
adverbial accusative (App. 116).
202. celeres refers to the columbae again, as does lapsae. āera is trisyllabic, a Greek
word, and here the accusative singular.
204. Note the word play with auri and aura.
205. Quale is from page 17 and modifies viscum. brumali vigore is best taken as an abl.
time.
206. quod – antecedent is viscum. arbos is an archaic form of arbor; same case and
number.
207. teretīs is archaic accusative.
209. brattea, –ae – metal leaf, in the sense of thin metal pounded out by a hammer.
211. cunctantem – some commentators question why the ramus does not follow volens
facilisque, as the Sibyl says it will in 146. Pharr suggests that the delaying was in
the mind of Aeneas. Another editor suggests clinging, which goes back to the idea
of the branch as a living part of the tree in 137. What do you think and what are
the implications of all sides.
295. Understood main verb is est.
296. Take all the ablatives here as description; note the word order and the sounds.
297. aestuat – look up the different meanings. Cocyto – all the books say dative of
direction, but I like abl. P.F.W., but ignore that.
298-299. Note the words in the nominative. What does horrendus mean here?
299. mento – not the 3rd declension noun you have in mind (bad pun),
300. Make sure you get the picture in your head of what Charon looks like.
302. subigit – what are the two Latin words that are the roots of this word? Velis – here
the verb takes the dative.
303. ferruginea – note that the colors in the Underworld tend to be dark and gloomy.
304. senectus – note the word is nom. and fem.
305. effuse – which of the two meanings given is best here?
306-308. All the groups are in apposition to turba.
308. Does this remind you of Aeneas’ first speech?
309-310. Keep the nominatives together (multa, lapsa, folia); remember that participles
tend to come at the end of the participial phrase and therefore most of 309 should
be translated with lapsa.
312. fugat – be careful; this is the 1st conjugation verb.
313. primi – nom. subj. but in sense goes with the understood subject of transmitter.
315. tristis – here the adjective means what he looks like that makes people sad: grim
317. Note the two participles revealing Aeneas’ emotional state.
318. concursus – another 4th declension noun from a verb. Which verb?
320. livida – another color. What English word, besides livid, comes from this word?
321. Olli – why the archaic form here?
324. numen – goes as d.o. of both infinitives.
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326. Supply est with the first clause and sunt with the second, taking sepulti as a noun
(here a particple used as a substantive).
327. datur – impersonal use: it is not granted.
329. volitant – note that this is the frequentative form of volo, volare.
384. iter interceptum – remember that iter is neuter.
385. quos – the connecting relative because you have ut and you don’t need two
different clauses with one verb; note that quos is the subject of the infinitives ire
and advertere in the next line. Also take the Stygia ab unda with the navita.
387. adgreditur – a strong, aggressive verb to describe how he addresses Aeneas and the
Sibyll, picked up by increpat.
388. armatus – hyperbaton and emphasizing the important word.
389. age – a parenthetical imperative, like c’mon in English.
392. euntem – a participle from eo, ire, ivi, itus which modifies Alciden, a Greek word
in the accusative.
394. Note the word order here.
395. in vincla petivit – an awkward phrase, and you should check the book’s note.
396. ipsius a solio regis – the phrase seems like it should go with traxit, but the –que
tells you that it doesn’t.
397. hi – along with ille in 395, the former . . . the latter.
398. Amphrysia – Vergil shows he is doctus, as Hellenistic poets were supposed to be.
399. Understand sunt with insidiae.
400. Understand ut with licet here and in 402.
402. patrui – Jupiter allowed his brother Pluto/Hades to seize his daughter
(Proserpina/Persephone) by Ceres/Demeter as a bride.
405. Note the arrangement of words in the line.
409. fatalis – which meaning is best in the context? Clue: it is not fatal.
410. caeruleam – yet another color.
412. alveo – the meter note in the book is interesting. Ask about it.
414. Note the two adjectives that go with cumba: sutilis and rimosa. What do these
reveal?
415. incolumīs(ēs) – note the adjective is plural and agrees with both nouns, not just the
closest one, which is what usually happens in Latin.
416. glauca – another color.
417. Note the intricate arrangement of words in this line and the next.
419. Cui – the connecting relative and a dative of reference equal to a genitive of
possession going with colla OR a dative compound verb with obicit in 421.
421. Can you give a reason for the enjambement?
425. inremeabilis – note all the parts of this word: in, re, meo (meare), bilis.
450. quas – the old connecting relative equaling et illas.
451. Quam – same thing: et illam, which is of course Dido and also an unusual
anastrophe, since it's the object of iuxta and the D.O. of agnovit; note how Dido
and Aeneas are outside the clause and next to one another.
453. qualem lunam is the Acc. subj. of infin (surgere and vidisse), which depend on
videt and putat respectively. primo mense means the early part of the (lunar)
month and refers to when there is a new moon. In other words the moon light is
not particularly strong or clear.
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455. I would argue that this is the first time that Aeneas cries for Dido (and not in
IV.449). You might like to look back and refresh your mind; then, form an
opinion and argue for it.
457. (te) extinctam (esse) –que secutam (esse) are ind. statements depending on the idea
of nuntius. extrema is a substantive neuter plural D.O. of secuta.
459. fides – has been attracted into the si clause. It should be per fidem, modified by the
si (ali)qua clause.
460. A famous line, recalling Book IV.361.
461. me – D.O. of egere, an archaic perfect from ago, and the understood D.O. of cogunt
in the relative clause. Do you remember that ago and cogo are related? Ask how!
463. imperiis suis is an abl. of accordance, which is a kind of abl. of manner: by their
authority or power (of command.
464. me – Acc. subj. of infin. depending on credere. discessu is an abl. of cause.
465. Remember that the last time we saw Dido at the end of Book IV she was really
ardens and at the start of IV she was metaphorically ardens with love. We are
back to the metaphor, but the cause is different.
466. fato – according to fate; check 463 for the C+R.
467. torva is adverbial accusative, like grave in 201.
468. lenibat is explained as having a “conative” meaning; the word comes from conor,
conari, conatus try. A good translation might be he kept on (trying to soothe)
soothing.
469. Note how Dido's eyes are now fixos, unlike in Book IV.
470. vultum – accusative of respect, as we have seen before.
471. quam si – than if. Note the arrangement of the words. Does the language recall at all
that of Book IV,366–367? Check!
472. inimica refers to Dido, as does illi in next line.
473. pristinus should not be translated as former since Sychaeus and Dido were not
divorced and now they are both dead; also from a Roman view point Aeneas and
Dido would not have been considered married, as Aeneas explained in IV.
476. longe – an adverb: from afar. euntem – present participle of eo, ire, ii, itus. Used
here as a substantive and modifies Dido understood in the accusative.
847. alii – refers to the Greeks and other peoples with more artistic and scientific talents.
Note that aera is two syllables and means bronze. Why is the aera described as
spirantia? Life–like? The same goes for vivos. Note the tense of the verbs from
847 to 850; orabunt (849) gives a big clue and you should always look around
when you get a few 3rd conjugation verbs.
848. equidem always intensifies the preceding word.
849. causas here is court cases for lawyers. meatus is unusual. Remember by context.
851. memento is the perfect imperative singular of the defective verb memini. Clearly it
takes a complementary infinitive or four. Note imperio and its C+R. Romane is
unusual in that it is singular and addressed to Aeneas, who is never a Roman.
Why does Vergil use this word? Think.
852. artes – this answers both lines 847–850, but also recalls Daedalus and the doors of
the temple at the beginning of Book VI. Is Rome’s ability to govern the equal of
the Greek ability to create art ant science? Is Vergil’s ability to create Book VI
and the Aeneid equal to Daedalus’ ability to create the doors? Hmmm!
853. subiectis – check verb (infinitive) for C+R. Think about how this line relates to the
death of Turnus in Book XII.
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855. Note the arrangement of words. spolia opima – as the notes say, a big deal in actual
Roman History, won only three times: Romulus killed Tatius about 750, Cossus
in 428, and Marcellus against the Gauls in 222. Any proto–Romans you can think
of who would qualify for this prize?
859. Note the arrangement of words. patri Quirino refers to Romulus as a god.
860. una – that adverb that means alongside, together with.
861. Note the arrangement of words. What C+R for forma? Check word it depends on.
862. Vergil shifts from indirect statement to a simple declarative sentence, which
explains why frons and lumina are both nominative.
863. euntem – who can figure this out? Start at the end and work your way back.
864. anne presents the second choice in a question: or. Clearly an est is understood with
filius and aliquis.
865. Note that Quis is exclamatory: what a . . . So is Quantum: what a great . . . Note
that circa is an adverb and that instar is a rather unusual word, used before to
describe the size of the Trojan horse (II.15), the size of the Cyclops’ eye when
pierced (III.637), the immense size of one of Turnus’ allies in the catalog of
Italian heroes (VII.707) and finally Aeneas as the force of a whirlwind on the
attack against Turnus(XII.923). Hmmm!
868. ne quaere in prose would be noli quaerere.
869. tantum – an adverb here: only. ultra – also adverbial: more, further.
870. nimium – adverb qualifying potens; it means too.
871. propria – from proprius, –a, –um, which means one’s very own (depending on the
subject).
872. Quantos – as with Quis in 865. Note the punctuation. Virum is the shortened
genitive virorum and depends on gemitus for its C+R. Mavortis goes with both
urbem and campus, because that is where the tomb that Augustus built and in
which Marcellus was the first to be buried was located in the Campus Martius.
874. praeterlabere is a shortened form of praeterlaberis, the future indicative deponent
verb in the 2nd person singular.
875. Note the arrangement of words. quisquam here functions as an adjective.
876. nec quondam – not at any time, never. in tantum equals to such a point(heights).
877. alumno – best taken as an ablative of cause.
878–879. Note the qualities addressed. Can you think of any ancestor of young Marcellus
who might have embodied these very virtues and attributes? Any descendant?
879. illi – modified by armato, it is in the dative because of obvius. Note the mood of
the verb tulisset. This is the apodosis of a contrary–to–fact condition. Ask!
880. seu . . . seu – whether . . . or. pedes – here a nominative: as a foot–soldier.
881. foderet – Latin word from this? Think what its 4th principal part is.
882. If you put a period, not a comma, at the end of the line, then the sentence is a wish.
Then the first three words in the next line are a simple identification that provides
the young man’s name. Otherwise, check the various translations available and
see what you think makes sense.
883. date – after this imperative, understand an ut that introduces indirect commands.
885. saltem – adverb: at least. fungar – one of the magic five that take their objects in
the ablative. Can you name the other four?
886. munere – When was the last time this word was enjambed? Try Book IV.624. How
are the situations similar and dissimilar? passim – note the adverb suffix –im,
seen in words like seriatim and interim.
887. āeris is trisyllabic, which means it is from āer, āeris: air. lustrant has the sense of
both traverse, go over and look over, survey.
Latin Aeneid VI Prelection
Page 10
888. Quae is the connecting relative (et and the appropriate form of ille, illa, illud). It has
to be that because of the presence of the subordinating conjunction postquam;
you cannot have a temporal clause and a relative clause at the same time.
890. gerenda – clearly a gerundive, because the gerund only has –i, –o, –um, –o endings.
892. This line compresses two indirect questions into one mishmash. Take quo modo
with fugiat laborem and take quem laborem with ferat and consider them as
two I.Q.’s joined by the –que at the end of quem.
893. fertur – is said (to be). Altera is used to mean one of two.
894. Note that qua is ablative of route or means. Note the arrangement of words. Get a
picture?
895. Note the arrangement of words. Note that elephanto has to be an example of
metonymy.
896. manes – a word we have seen before and worth looking up if you do not remember.
Many editors capitalize the word, I guess as a sign of respect
897. una – that adverb as in 35 and 860 in Book VI. Learn this word! His modifies dictis
in the next line.
898. Much discussion has gone on over why the ivory gate was used. None of it is
conclusive and any choice rests on interpretation. Ask your teacher!
899. ille – Aeneas
900. Caietae is explained at the start of Book VII as Aeneas’ nurse, who dies, is buried,
and has a town named after her. This is part of the Palinurus–Misenus way of
connecting Aeneas and his people to places in Italy and giving the aetiology. It is
also a part of the death of people close to Aeneas at the ends of Books II through
VI. I believe that Caieta’s story probably concluded Book VI but was moved
when Marcellus died in 23 BC and took a prominent place at the end of VI.
901. Note how the language of the last line recalls the vocabulary of the first five lines of
the book.